NationaLease Proclaims Record Attendance at the 2013 Canadian Leadership Summit

    DOWNERS GROVE, IL, November 23, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- NationaLease, one of the largest full service truck leasing organizations in North America, concluded its Canadian Leadership Summit in Toronto, ON at The Fairmont Royal York. Record attendance and great supplier participation were the highlights of the Summit, which took place November 5-7.

The first day of sessions started with a look back at the organization's accomplishments over the past year, presented by Dean Vicha, President of NationaLease. That was followed by Kirk Tilley, President of Tandet NationaLease, offering an insightful look at the past, present, and future of leasing in Canada. A member panel then discussed the opportunities and challenges they face as part of the NationaLease Developing Member Program, which offers companies a chance to jumpstart a leasing business by taking advantage of the organization's many programs. This panel was moderated by Jane Clark, Vice President of Member Services, who also provided attendees with an update on additional NationaLease programs. Presentations on air disc brakes were presided over by Stephane Godbout of Location Brossard NationaLease and Fabrizio Rinaldi of Bendix. At the conclusion of the sessions, attendees were given a tour of a nearby Bandag retread plant, followed by a Technology Fair back at The Fairmont Royal York.

The second day was dominated by supplier presentations with a focus on NationaLease Supply Management programs. Ron Maizis of Maizis & Miller opened with a discussion on technician recruiting, followed by a panel of suppliers discussing the new developments in technology, as well as governmental and regulatory issues that impact the industry. This panel, moderated by Rob Garcia, Director of New Business Development, included representatives from Petro-Canada; Cummins Inc.; Navistar, Inc.; Daimler Trucks North America; and Michelin North America Inc. The morning concluded with an Idea Session, where members contributed ideas and Best Practices. Members vote on the best ideas; winners were Francois Gareau of Location Robert NationaLease in 3rd place; Stephane Godbout of Location Brossard NationaLease in 2nd place, and Alex Novak of Location Robert NationaLease in 1st place.

Representatives of PACCAR Parts, Freightliner Pinnacle Parts, International Fleet Charge Parts, Michelin North America, and Petro-Canada opened the afternoon sessions with presentations of their new offerings. That was followed by Matt Bodgan, Director of Vehicle Supply Management, offering an overview of NationaLease Supply Management programs. The sessions concluded with a Member Open Forum and the Summit itself concluded with an Awards Dinner where Freightliner Trucks Canada was awarded the first ever Canadian Supplier of the Year award.

NationaLease offers a special thanks to Dan Villenueve of Tandet NationaLease, who served as this year's meeting chair, and announces that next year's meeting will be held at the Fairmont in Winnipeg, MB on November 3-5, 2014.

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 www.nationalease.com.

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