Tony Gratson, Ford Pro’s long-time government sales manager, retired on Dec. 1. Gratson has worked with Ford since 1982, taking on numerous positions before being named national government sales manager in 2001, overseeing the federal, state, and local government business.

“Over the last two decades, Tony led the best government sales team in the industry.  He has been instrumental in establishing second-to-none relationships, driving incremental sales volume, and delivering significant government market share,” Philip Podgorny, general manager, Ford Pro commercial and government sales, wrote in an internal memo.

Gratson led numerous strategic government initiatives during his time at Ford, including the Police Advisory Board, the General Services Administration federal bid contract, and government battery-electric vehicle adoption plans. He has also served on Government Fleet magazine’s advisory board since its inception.

“I would like to thank the Ford government sales team for all their years of hard work taking care of dealers and government customers. I would like to thank Ford dealers for bidding, winning, and delivering vehicles to government agencies throughout the country. I would like to thank government accounts for using Ford vehicles for all the work and missions government agencies do every day. We have a great country because of the dedication of government employees at all levels, in cities, counties, states, and federal agencies. It was an honor and privilege to have served with this great group of people," Gratson told Government Fleet.

Previously, Gratson served active duty in the U.S. Army as second lieutenant to captain. While working for Ford, he was a member of the Army Reserves for an additional 21 years, serving a total of 30 years in the U.S. military.