Three public fleet facilities at Sarasota County, Fla., have earned the Blue Seal of Excellence from the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). This is the first time all three county fleet facilities have earned the designation — one shop had it in 2013, said Ron Kennedy, CEM, CPFP, fleet manager.

"We are truly excited about this accomplishment and all the hard work that our team put in to make this happen," he added.

To earn ASE Blue Seal certification, at least 75% of technicians performing diagnostics 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, according to the organization.

Currently, 80% of Sarasota County technicians (21 technicians) have ASE certification. Nine of these have more than one, and 10 have Master certifications. Staff have a combined total of 228 ASE certifications, Kennedy said.

Fleet staff took the following efforts to obtain Blue Seal certification: putting a high priority on training and actively searching for training opportunities for technicians throughout the year; encouraging technicians to approach their supervisor if they see training opportunities; and paying employees for current ASE certifications.

The county fleet earned the certification in April. Staff members celebrated the accomplishments on August 24.