NAFA And A.I.A.G.A. Hold Introductory Meeting 4,000 Miles Apart

"Ciao! Il mio nome è Filippo Russo," said NAFA’s Executive Director, Phillip E. Russo, CAE to the group of Italian fleet management professionals of A.I.A.G.A (the Italian Association of Managers Buyers and Used Cars). "Sono molto felice di essere con voi oggi". Translated he said, "Greetings! My name is Phillip Russo. I am very happy to be with you today." With these words, Russo welcomed A.I.A.G.A as partners, provided a historical background on NAFA, and showed how the two associations share similar goals and can help each other in the future.

On October 16, Russo spoke to the group from a laptop residing over 4,000 miles away, thanks to Skype and translation from Giovanni Tortorici, President of A.I.A.G.A. Despite language barriers, the first meeting between the two associations proved that when it comes to fleet management, they truly speak the same language.

For the past few years, NAFA has aggressively sought international partners in an effort to extend beyond the borders of North America. A.I.A.G.A. became the first international association to officially partner with NAFA on a global fleet level in August. The two associations plan to share resources, partner on events, exchange ideas, conduct research, promote each other’s industry awards, and work towards their ultimate goal – an online, virtual learning center for fleet managers with resources available for NAFA and A.I.A.G.A. members. Today’s meeting was the first of its kind between the two partners, but it won’t be the last.

"Using Skype is a great, economical, option when you can't be in the same room with others," explained Russo. "With the addition of a translator on the other end, we were able to communicate easily and without any delays. Of course, I missed not being able to look the audience members in the eyes and shake their hands afterwards, but for the purpose of communicating a message and sharing information, this was an ideal format."

The partnership will be in action next week when Giovanni Tortorici, comes to America to share his knowledge of global fleet issues during NAFA’s International Fleet Academy in Tucson, AZ (October 21-23). Tortorici, the Purchasing Manager at Barilla, will be part of a stellar roster of leading global fleet professionals that includes Joe Carreira (the 2012 International Fleet Manager of the Year) EMEA Fleet Manager, MSD; Lutz Hansen, Purchasing Fleet Management Services for Bayer Business Services GMbH; Joe LaRosa, NAFA’s current International Vice President and Director of Global Fleet Services for Merck & Co.; former NAFA President Gayle Pratt (recently retired from her position as Director, Global Fleet Sourcing for Ecolab); and Kevin Fisher, CAFM, Vice President Strategic Fleet Operations, ARAMARK.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004