The 2014 NationaLease Spring Business Meeting was held this past March at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, AZ, in conjunction with TRALA's Annual Meeting. Two full afternoon sessions were devoted to NationaLease members and covered issues that are top of mind for leasing executives; a dominant issue being technology and its impact on the trucking industry.

The first day of the meeting, Jim Angel, General Manager of the Trucking Division at DriveCam, started the technology discussion which continued with discussions on managing maintenance costs through a new vehicle's first year of in-service, selling full service leasing in the age of higher capital equipment costs, and choosing and utilizing CRM systems. Discussions of these topics were facilitated by Mike Margarone, President, DeCarolis Truck Rental, Inc., a NationaLease Member; David Deon, President, Velocity Truck Rental and Leasing, a NationaLease Member; and Kurt Kettner, Vice President, Koch NationaLease.

The second day began with a conversation with NationaLease staff. Dean Vicha, President; Jane Clark, Vice President of Member Services; Jeff Spence, Vice President of National Accounts; and David Nitzsche, Senior Vice President of Supply Management, shared successes of the NationaLease organization and discussed goals for 2014. The afternoon session concluded with discussions on National Accounts and best practices related to fuel economy and maintenance cost savings. These discussions were led by Jim Smith, General Manager, Southeastern NationaLease and Bill Schultz, President/COO, Lawrence NationaLease.

About NationaLease
Founded in 1944, NationaLease is one of the largest full service truck leasing organizations in North America, with over 600 service locations throughout the U.S. and Canada and a combined customer fleet of over 125,000 tractors, trucks, and trailers. The company provides comprehensive fleet management services for private fleets and transportation service providers. More information can be found at http://www.nationalease.com.