Mark Stevens, fleet manager for the City of Sacramento, Calif., was named the 2020 Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year during the Government Fleet Virtual Honors Celebration held online on June 16.

This award is sponsored by GovPlanet. Joe Lane, national director of state and local government, announced the winner.

"There's one statement that I've lived by, and it's still as applicable today as it was 40 years ago: If we don't take care of the customer, someone else will. Communication is key, and so is building trust with your customers," Stevens told attendees during his acceptance speech.

A panel of judges consisting of fleet managers from around the country reviewed each candidate in 10 categories: business plan, technology implementation, productivity, policies, preventive maintenance program, utilization management, replacement program, customer service, fuel management, and safety. 

Stevens places a heavy emphasis on building trust with customers by communicating openly with them, keeping them informed of what the fleet operation is doing and how, and establishing regular meetings to discuss issues and concerns.