Trade Show News Network
, the leading resource for the trade show, exhibition, and event industry, has named NAFA’s Institute and Expo
(I&E) to its list of the Top U.S. Trade Shows
for the fourth year in a row.
The ranking is based on net square footage of trade shows in the United States. I&E ranked number 206 of all U.S. events, coming in at just under 62,000 net square feet. No other fleet industry show made the list. (By comparison, the #1 U.S. show, the Consumer Electronics Show, takes over the entire city of Las Vegas every January and amasses more than 2.7-million square feet!)
Nearly six years ago, New York City was hit by Superstorm Sandy’s sustained winds of 80 mph, tearing through homes and flooding subways and streets. In November, the lights were switched on for Rockefeller Center’s 75-foot Christmas tree, an annual draw for millions of visitors. On this morning, the cars are triple-parked and tractor trailers idle in the middle of the road, waiting for passage while backing up traffic in the process. Somewhere else, a crime is being committed.
The New York City Police Department, like any law enforcement entity, deals with these extremes each day, and its fleet must be at the ready throughout. This is a look into how they do it.
Fleets that set an example for sustainable practices are aware of the big-picture numbers – staggering worldwide numbers regarding carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) output – and commit to do their part to not contribute to those datasets. Pollutants are, however, more than emissions from vehicles alone. They come from garbage dumped in the landfill which generates CO2 and methane. There are also the pollutants that seep into the ground and water supply, stemming from the waste stream fleets can generate.
Fleets can play a significant role in being responsible stewards of their materials, curbing waste stream flows, and recognizing the consequences that mismanagement will bring. It will not be easy, and may take additional effort.
The decision to purchase alternative-fueled and advance-technology fleet vehicles can often come down to available federal, state, and local incentives that make sustainability minded acquisitions fiscally justifiable.
The longstanding fuel excise tax credit of $.50 per-gallon for compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane autogas, and the $1.00 per gallon credit for biodiesel has had a significant impact on the makeup of today’s fleets across America. Congress routinely allows these year-to-year tax credits to expire only to extend them again at the last minute. At present, the fates of these credits are hanging in the balance, as they expired at the end of 2017 and have not been retroactively extended through 2018.
However, of all the tax extenders Congress is considering, one with a brighter outlook appears to be the credit for biodiesel fuel purchases, in large part due to Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) sustained support for the incentive.
Adam Orth, CAFM, Fleet Services Manager for General Mills Inc., was the proud recipient of 2018’s Fleet Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievements in Corporate Fleet Management. “I was extremely excited to be nominated, but receiving the award was fantastic,” said Orth. “To me, this is an award I highly value and one that is a representation of many years of hard work within the industry. To be both nominated and recognized with/by my peers in this fantastic industry is a great feeling.”
The Safelite AutoGlass Fleet Department was honored as the recipients of the Fleet Excellence Award for Excellence in Corporate Fleet Sustainability Accomplishments at the 2018 NAFA Institute and Expo. Erin Gilchrist, Fleet Director, Safelite AutoGlass, has been in the fleet industry for 12 years and spoke about what this award means to her organization and the effort that she and her team put forth to achieve this recognition.
Marianne Stewart, CAFM, Owner of MSC Corporate Fleet Services, LLC, was the recipient of the 2018 Associate Member of the Year award.
Having been involved in the fleet industry for 18 years, Stewart has also been a member of NAFA’s Old Dominion Chapter for 17 of those years.
“Serving in a volunteer capacity is an honor and a privilege for me,” she said of her experience as a NAFA member.
“I find it personally rewarding to share the passion for this industry; but, I am most honored that industry experts and my esteemed colleagues, from whom I continue to learn, chose me as a recipient of an award that signifies excellence.”
“Sacramento County is designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a severe air quality nonattainment zone for ground level ozone,” said Keith Leech, Sr., Chief, Fleet Division and Parking Enterprise. “Almost 70 percent of the Sacramento region’s ozone pollution problem comes from cars, trucks, locomotives, buses, motorcycles, agricultural and construction equipment.”
Because the Sacramento Valley is shaped like a bowl, ozone pollution presents a serious problem in the summer when an inversion layer traps pollutants close to the ground. “This lid prevents pollutants from escaping into the upper atmosphere causing poor air quality for our residents,” said Leech.
(FLEXYs), the top honors in the fleet and mobility industry. They will be presented on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, Ky., during NAFA’s annual conference, the Institute & Expo