Fleet Services Earns Two Stand-Out National Awards
Author: Central Services
Date:
7/12/2019 4:16:00 PM
Central Services' Fleet Division earns two notable awards.
This has been a rewarding year for the Fleet Services division of the Central Services Department. The team, comprised of thirteen dedicated individuals, is motivated by the idea of excellence in service and is led by innovation and the desire to excel. This work ethic and initiative earned them several notable recognitions.
Each year, the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) sifts through a lengthy list of over 38,000 fleets, searching for defining factors that elevate the best of the best. The goal is to rank the 100 Best performing fleets in the country. As a recently accredited Fleet and one of the only two accredited outside of a Public Works organization, the Fleet team was enthusiastic to see what they could achieve next and where they stood in comparison to the Public Works fleets. The criteria is complex and the competition is abundant. The best fleets hold their teams accountable while maintaining strong rapport, collaborate with innovation and creativity while maintaining consistent excellence. The final list of the 100 Best Fleets awarded the County of San Luis Obispo as the number 16 fleet in America. This is the County’s 4th consecutive year to be ranked within the “100 Best Fleets.”
June brought another rewarding acknowledgment for Fleet Services as they were honored as a “Leading Fleet” by Government Fleet and the American Public Works Association (APWA). This title is competitive, awarded to only fifty fleets from the same pool of 38,000. While the “100 Best Fleets” award recognized organization and excellence, this award was more vision focused.
“This award places a lot of emphasis on leadership, innovation and vision for the future,” said Fleet Manager, Rocky Buoy. All of Fleet’s Supervisors, Administrators and Lead Technicians have completed the Leadership Academies offered through the County. The team also participated in Gallup's Strengthsfinder training and applies the results to their daily interactions. When asked what set this team apart from other applicants, Buoy said “We excelled in innovation with online fleet remarketing, the Local Motion car sharing program, growth of the electric vehicle (EV) fleet and work we've done to increase the EV charger infrastructure.” The team also implemented an in-house training program to develop technicians with less experience but who showed potential and demonstrated the willingness and positive attitude.
A major highlight that separated the team from the crowd was their innovation in converting the motor pool system into a car-sharing automation. They were the third, just behind Google, to implement this Local Motion car sharing program, which has been widely successful. This is an example of the forward thinking that elevates fleets from bystanders to leaders. When asked what stand-out traits separate this team from the next, Buoy said “I believe the in-house technician training, team leadership and automated car sharing was the key.” Other defining characteristics of the award were staff and community leadership, customer leadership, competitiveness and vision. The team’s community involvement, customer satisfaction ratings (currently at 99%) and professional development surely pushed them up on the list.
The top twenty ranked fleets were recognized at the Government Fleet Expo Conference in New Orleans mid-June. Buoy accepted the award on behalf of the Fleet team.