Automotive Fleet, October 2018

OEM PROFILE AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I OCTOBER 2018 38 has a proven track record of dedication to and focus on customer service and adding value ensuring their customers succeed in whatever mission their individual fleets need to accomplish In fact the new position has given Farabee the chance to reconnect with old colleagues on the fleet team with whom he has worked in other capacities At some point in my career Ive worked indirectly or directly with many of the Central region team members That to me is exciting I dont feel like Im walking into an unfamiliar situation with unfamiliar people Farabee said This team is doing a great job of growing the business and staying in touch with our valued customers and you cant ask for more than that Taking on the challenge of the Central region is a homecoming of sorts for Farabee as well He grew up in Farmington Hills and graduated from Michigan State University As a second generation Ford employee he has a legacy to maintain as he progresses through his Ford career For the moment however his focus is on the many Central U S fleet customers with whom he has yet to connect Im just excited to get out and meet the customers I am ready to spend time with the team and really understand the needs of these customers AF work through issues and concerns helped draft the messaging that went out and made sure the supporting documentation to successfully execute each process was available when and where it was needed Thats where I was able to transition to this current job said Farabee I was presented the opportunity and I said I was absolutely 100 interested the fact that it is so completely different from the retail business Our customers in the commercial space have a choice If we dont treat them right other OEMs are actively trying to conquest the business Product service people it is our job to understand our customers priorities and build strong relationships Thats real selling to me and I am very excited about that A Team Effort The Central region is powered by a wildly diverse collection of customers that Farabee said he is looking forward to getting to know better He will be working with fleet managers and business owners in such industries as agriculture insurance pharmaceutical retail package delivery healthcare and communications among others Farabee will manage the Central region with the help of nine national account managers He stressed that each manager In 2011 Farabee left the sales division to join Fords customer service division as parts and service operations manager moving him to Orlando Fla where he would spend the next four years digging into the intricacies of fixed ops That was a complete change of pace for me from the sales side he said It was a bit of a hard change from one side of the business to another but it all came down again to relationships helping our customers through service issues and helping our dealer partners to deliver their priorities In April 2015 Farabee returned to Dearborn as sales operations coordinator and then U S distribution coordinator for field operations where his communication skills were put to the test once again Basically we are the filter for all initiatives rolled out to the Ford field team and the liaison to our internal business partners and business owners Whether its working with the marketing team or an IT issue it all flows through the field operations organization We established communication and we managed the message and timing for the key initiatives being communicated Farabee led the execution of the monthly retail and wholesale strategy to field teams and dealers He studied strategy helped Alabama Arkansas California Connecticut Delaware Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Maryland District of Columbia Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Hawaii Arizona Alaska Colorado Florida Texas New York Pennsylvania REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY F ord Motor Co s commercial sales division is divided into three territories managed from the factorys headquarters in Dearborn Mich and staffed by field representatives The Central region includes Todd Farabee Regional Sales Manager Central Rory Cashman Minneapolis NAM Mickey Calais Kansas City incl St Louis NAM Brad Clissold Cincinnati NAM Tina Ferri Chicago South NAM Steve Hailey Memphis NAM Marty Kopera Chicago North NAM Elisa Milano Cleveland incl Pittsburgh NAM Gabrielle Senatore Select Account Manager Central Dennis Bearden Detroit NAM COMMERCIAL FLEET SALES CENTRAL