FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marilyn Rawlings, Lee County Fleet Management,
              (239) 338-3233

COUNTY'S RAWLINGS FINALIST FOR
NATIONAL FLEET MANAGER AWARD

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 24, 2003) - Marilyn Rawlings, Lee County's Fleet Manager, has been named as one of 18 national finalists for Automotive Fleet Magazine's "Fleet Manager of the Year."

Lee County Government's Fleet Management Division maintains more than 1,200 vehicles that are used by the county's 25 departments and divisions each day in providing services to residents. The fleet includes everything from passenger cars, light duty trucks and commercial work vans to ambulances, graders and super-duty construction trucks and equipment. The division employees 25 and has an annual operating budget of $5 million.

Rawlings has been the county's fleet manager for nine years. During that time, the division has earned a number of awards for excellence. In October 2001, the division was recognized as the second most efficient fleet operation in the United States. And last April, Lee County Fleet Management earned the Blue Seal of Excellence from the National Institute of Automotive Service Repair (ASE) - one of only 13 government fleets statewide to receive the distinction.

Rawlings' nomination for fleet manager of the year, from the March 2003 issue of Automotive Fleet, reads:

"When Rawlings took over management of the county's fleet department nine years ago, it had a deficit of $1.5 million. Today, it reports a surplus of $200,000. Rawlings has reduced spending and increased revenue by 30 percent. She implemented a fully funded vehicle replacement program for vehicles, and increased revenues from vehicle disposal by 50 percent through her own auctions.

Along with retraining her entire staff, she introduced customer-training programs in driver safety, vehicle inspections, and small engine repair. Rawlings has transferred the fleet from ownership to leasing when fiscally prudent using cash flow analyses. She also started an incentive program that rewards employees of their innovations and creativity to the county's fleet management."

Among the division's other accomplishments:

• It was the first fleet in Florida to completely eliminate hazardous waste from its operations by recycling, using environmentally safe materials and modifying operations procedures.
• In 2001, 24 Fleet Management employees successfully completed an 11-week leadership-training course.
• The county maintains a state-of-the-art fleet management software system to track inventory, fuel, operations and maintenance.

Other finalists for the award include fleet managers from DuPont, General Mills, Wendy's, Bristol-Myers Squibb and AT&T Corp.