November 2008, Government Fleet - Cover Story
The Hillsborough County, Fla., fleet was named the No.1 public sector fleet for 2008, announced at a national fleet managers conference in Virginia Beach, Va., in October.
The Hillsborough Fleet Management Department is responsible for the acquisition, fueling, maintenance, repair, and disposal of 4,200-plus vehicles and pieces of equipment in the County administrator’s fleet. Fleet management has operated as an internal service fund since FY1996.
In FY1998, the County established a vehicle replacement program administered by the fleet management department. Currently, the fleet department has 70 budgeted positions to meet the needs and objectives of its growing county. Fleet serves all 36 departments under the county administrator in addition to other agencies.
According to Sharon Subadan, CAFM, CPFP, fleet management director, as a public entity, Hillsborough County fleet management strives to provide the highest quality service to customers and develop a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. "We Add Value" is the fleet team’s unofficial motto.
"We call our department TEAM FLEET," Subadan said. "My senior management team includes Debbie Benavidez, fiscal systems and QA manager; Ernie Hutman, operations & maintenance manager; and Matt Shrader, contracts & training manager. We wear a lot of hats."
Hillsborough’s fleet program is based on a well-rounded foundation with a strong infrastructure. TEAM FLEET believes in developing people, emphasizing technology, and effectively utilizing contracts to add value to Hillsborough County.
"We have a passion for what we do and understand our role in the organization and how we affect our customer departments," Subadan said. "We operate very much like a private entity, which helps us to rise to the top."
TEAM FLEET creates effective business partnerships and contract management with such vendors as NAPA; Asset Works (formerly Maximus M5); E-One, the County’s sole source fire apparatus vendor; and several other local vehicle services providers.
"We do not do work that is not our core competency and are fortunate in the Tampa area to have good vendors," Subadan said. "We employ competitive contracts and hold our contractors accountable for the work they are contracted to do for the County."
