Kern County Earns Award for Innovative, Cost-Efficient Partnership with Enterprise Fleet Management

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Dec 13, 2018, 10:00 ET

Kern County: "Enterprise's program caught our attention and made us realize that there was an easier, safer way to meet the county's transportation needs"

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Executive Director Graham Knaus presented Kern County, Calif., with a 2018 Merit Award this week for the county's partnership with Enterprise Fleet Management. Through the partnership, the county expects to save $2 million in vehicle maintenance and replacement costs over the next five years.

2018 California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Challenge Awards.

From left to right: Kern County Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst Jason Wiebe, Enterprise Fleet Management Account Executive Laura Clarke, CSAC Executive Director Graham Knaus, Kern County Fiscal and Policy Analyst Amanda Ruiz, Kern County Senior Chief Administrative Officer Manager Sandi Formhals, Kern County Chief General Services Officer Geoff Hill, Enterprise Business Rental Sales Executive Lisa Holmes, Enterprise Fleet Management Senior Account Manager Jay Caponetti.

Through its network of more than 50 fully staffed offices – including several in California – Enterprise Fleet Management manages a fleet of more than 520,000 vehicles throughout North America. The business provides full-service fleet management for companies, government agencies and organizations that operate medium-sized fleets of 20 or more vehicles, as well as for organizations seeking an alternative to employee reimbursement programs.

The CSAC Challenge Awards recognize the innovative and creative spirit of California county governments as they find new and effective ways of providing programs and services to their citizens. Of the nearly 275 entries submitted by California counties for review this year, only 53 programs are being recognized with awards.

Innovative Approach Leads to Cost Savings

Kern County had experienced eight consecutive years of significant cuts to its fleet management budget. The cuts forced the county to keep vehicles in its fleet well beyond 10 years, which led to increased maintenance fees, longer downtime for vehicles, lower gas mileage and higher emissions, as well as reliability and safety concerns.

"Without the capital to purchase new vehicles, we started looking at leasing options," said Sandi Formhals, Kern County Senior Chief Administrative Officer Manager. "Enterprise Fleet Management's program caught our attention and made us realize that there was an easier, safer way to meet the county's transportation needs that took into account the total cost of vehicle ownership, including factors like maintenance, downtime, fuel efficiency and resale."

As part of the initial pilot program, Enterprise Fleet Management helped Kern County acquire and manage a fleet of 111 vehicles. The county has more than 350 10-year-old vehicles in its fleet and anticipates even greater cost savings as the program is scaled in the future.

Enterprise Fleet Management partners with hundreds of state and local government agencies throughout North America to improve fleet performance while reducing costs. As a leading fleet management provider to public agencies, Enterprise Fleet Management also helps improve fuel efficiency, increase productivity and reduce overall fleet size by identifying and minimizing fleet surpluses.

Kern County is just one of more than 130 government agencies Enterprise Fleet Management serves across the state of California.

"It's an honor to create award-winning transportation solutions for our customers," said Robert Guglielmo, Director of Enterprise Fleet Management in Sacramento. "This recognition is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that both Kern County and our employees have invested in meeting the needs of the community. We look forward to expanding this program to maximize cost savings for the county in the future."

About Enterprise Fleet Management
Owned by the Taylor family of St. Louis, Enterprise Fleet Management supplies most makes and models of cars, light- and medium-duty trucks and service vehicles across North America. Enterprise Fleet Management and its affiliate, Enterprise Holdings, together offer a total transportation solution. Combined, these businesses, which include car rental and carsharing services, truck rental, corporate fleet management and retail car sales, accounted for $24.1 billion in revenue and operated 2 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal year 2018.

SOURCE Enterprise Fleet Management