Adapting to Challenges as a Seasoned Fleet Manager

The adage, “adapt or die,” rang true in 2022 more than ever. For the city of Orlando in Florida, the fleet department underwent changes to adapt to the ever-changing year.

To start, David Dunn led the Fleet and Facilities Department for over 10 years.

In 2022, Orlando’s fleet department adjusted to accommodate the challenges that the year was throwing at them.

The Fleet and Facilities department split in two — with Dunn leading the facilities management and Johnathan Ford taking over the fleet management.

Now as the Facilities Management, Division Manager, Dunn’s new responsibilities include maintenance, repair, renovation, and modifications to 1,167 facilities. That equals about 7.2 million square feet scattered around 136 sq miles.

He also manages the Energy Management department, which includes reducing the consumption of electricity and water to meet the Green Works Orlando initiative goals, launched in 2007.

Leading the Way

With over 50 years of experience in his career, Dunn is a seasoned manager. Originally hired into the facilities division with the city of Orlando, promoted to Facilities Division Manager in March 2010 he quickly moved up to division manager for the Fleet and Facilities department in October 2011.

The department change in June 2021 didn’t come without its challenges. According to Dunn, his biggest challenge was, “building the team I was provided into the excellent team existing today. It was necessary to weed out the non-performers to accomplish this task.”

As a result of overcoming that challenge, one of Dunn’s favorite things about his job is working with his team members and helping them grow in their roles.

After a successful career, Dunn has started his transition into retirement. His main goal for 2023 is to pass the torch to the next Facilities Management Division manager.

After 50-plus years, Dunn’s final advice is to “open your ears, eyes, and opinions as you dive in deep. Do the work because you love the work, and if you don’t love it, go do something else.”