SAN DIEGO - John Clements, fleet manager for the County of San Diego,retired Sept. 24 after 33 and a half years of service with the county. Clements managed eight maintenance repair facilities, 21 fueling sites, and a staff of 60 employees. He was named the 2007 Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year by Government Fleet magazine and was actively involved in the fleet industry. In 2008, Clements provided Government Fleet Expo & Conference (GFX) attendees an opportunity to tour the County of San Diego's fleet facility during the first-ever GFX event.

During his tenure as fleet manager, the San Diego County fleet program received industry recognition as being among the nation's 100 best fleets, along with winning the California State Association of Counties Challenge Award and the California state Best Practices Award. Clements first started working at the San Diego County fleet operation in 1976 as a fire truck mechanic.

In 1998, Clements spearheaded a successful effort to win a managed competition against five private sector proposals. During the managed competition, Clements headed a re-engineering effort that produced more than $8.5 million in cost avoidance and a streamlined, efficient fleet program.

Succeeding John Clements is Sharyl Blackington, fleet manager for San Diego County.