(239) 338-3233
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COUNTY'S RAWLINGS ELECTED TO NATIONAL BOARDFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marilyn Rawlings, Lee County Fleet Management
(239) 338-3233
click image to enlarge
COUNTY'S RAWLINGS ELECTED TO NATIONAL BOARD
FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 7, 2004) - Marilyn Rawlings, Lee County's Fleet Manager, has been elected vice president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP).
The AEMP is the premier professional organization serving those who manage and maintain heavy equipment. It is based in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Its Certified Equipment Managers (CEM) professional certification is the only one in the industry exclusively for equipment managers. Membership includes fleet managers, equipment managers, executive management and supervisors and foremen.
Lee County Government's Fleet Management Division maintains more than 1,200 vehicles that are used by the county's 25 departments and divisions each day in providing services to residents. The fleet includes everything from passenger cars, light duty trucks and commercial work vans to ambulances, graders and super-duty construction trucks and equipment. The division employees 30 and has an annual operating budget of $6.3 million.
Rawlings has been the county's fleet manager for 10 years. During that time, the division has earned a number of awards for excellence. In October 2001, the division was recognized as the second most efficient fleet operation in the United States. And last April, Lee County Fleet Management earned the Blue Seal of Excellence from the National Institute of Automotive Service Repair (ASE) - one of only 13 government fleets statewide to receive the distinction.
Last year, Rawlings was one of 18 national finalists for Automotive Fleet Magazine's "Fleet Manager of the Year." Her nomination read, in part:
"When Rawlings took over management of the county's fleet department nine years ago, it had a deficit of $1.5 million. Today, it reports a surplus of $200,000. Rawlings has reduced spending and increased revenue by 30 percent. She implemented a fully funded vehicle replacement program for vehicles, and increased revenues from vehicle disposal by 50 percent through her own auctions.
Along with retraining her entire staff, she introduced customer-training programs in driver safety, vehicle inspections, and small engine repair. Rawlings has transferred the fleet from ownership to leasing when fiscally prudent using cash flow analyses. She also started an incentive program that rewards employees of their innovations and creativity to the county's fleet management."