The City of Lakewood, Colo., has earned its first Blue Seal of Excellence from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

To earn a Blue Seal, 75% of technicians performing diagnosis and repairs must be ASE certified, and each area of service offered in the shop must be covered by at least one ASE-certified technician.

“In Lakewood’s history of fleet maintenance (approx. 1970), ASE certifications had not been required. I could see that more and more public sector fleet programs across the country were seeing the value in ASE certifications and achieving the Blue Seal recognition,” said Nina Hoffert, CAFM, fleet manager for the city. “As a team, we decided to take on this challenge.”

Since Hoffert was asking technicians to obtain ASE certifications, she also decided to work on her own training, obtaining the CAFM certification from the NAFA Fleet Management Association.

Technicians have been working on ASE certifications for several years, bringing the fleet close to its goal. After hiring a new mechanic with existing certifications, it qualified for the Blue Seal program.

“I do believe the certification shows that we care about what we do. And it shows our intent to deliver the highest quality services possible for our internal customers and, ultimately, to the citizens of Lakewood,” Hoffert said.

The fleet was recently profiled in the Lakewood Sentinel. It has eight mechanics who maintain 650 vehicles.