QEK Appoints Jill Lajdziak as President and CEO
WARREN, MI, October 19, 2011 – QEK Global Solutions, Inc., a global fleet solutions provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jill Lajdziak as President and Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2011. Jill will be replacing current President and CEO Kerry Budry, who will retire from the position after the transition with Jill is complete.
Jill brings over 30 years of automotive experience to QEK. This background will give her the ability to provide a high level of customer service to new and existing clients while leveraging many different Penske relationships around the globe, providing a foundation to expand the QEK customer base and services.
“With her strong automotive background and ability to build relationships, Jill is in a unique position to help grow and diversify the QEK business beyond the traditional automotive channels,” said Roger Penske.
Over the last 25 years, Kerry has grown QEK from a start-up fleet service company to the largest OEM global fleet organization to the automotive industry. Kerry will remain an active part of QEK during the transition with Jill and will continue to provide advice on company initiatives as a Director on the QEK Board.
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QEK Supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Warren, MI - October 7, 2011 - September marked a month of giving for QEK, as the entire company focused on raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Every year, QEK designates one month to raise money for a selected non-profit, charitable organization. This selected month consistently draws high employee participation and donations from generous QEK employees, friends, family and vendors.
Some of the innovative, month-long fundraising initiatives included employee raffles whereby generous vendor donations allowed QEK to raffle off an iPod Touch. QEK also donated a “Week off with Pay”! This raffle generated much interest and raised approximately $1,000! Bake Sales allowed employees to bring in their favorite home-made goodies to sell to their fellow colleagues. The charity golf outing was another high participation event for the QEK charity initiative. This outing allowed QEK employees, vendors, friends and family to swing “fore” the kids, while having fun on the course at the same time. The successful QEK outing was held at The Myth Golf Course and raised nearly $800.00! Book sales, casual days, coin jars, ice cream socials and pizza parties were also events that helped contribute to this worthy cause!
Because of the entire QEK organization’s creative fundraising efforts, QEK was able to raise and donate $6,000 to St. Jude’s patient care, research and educational programs. This donation will help thousands of children with cancer and other life threatening diseases. This achievement was all possible because of all of the hard working, QEK employees and their generosity in both time and donations.
How our donations helped?
· Thanks to donors, St. Jude families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and no child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay.
· Your donations also help St. Jude cover other costs a family typically incurs while their child is being treated at the hospital, including travel, housing and food.
· At St. Jude, donor dollars help fuel the groundbreaking research that leads to pioneering care and treatments for childhood cancer and other deadly diseases.
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QEK Celebrates 25 Years!
Warren, MI - August 18, 2011 - 1986, a year when a gallon of gas was $.89, the price of a new car was $9,000 and a few passionate entrepreneurs sat across the street from the GM Tech Center wondering how they would ever get across that fence to assist with their visible fleet operational challenges. These very ambitious individuals including Mr. Sam Cupp, QEK’s founder and first Chairman, assembled a team, made a pitch and a few short months later, Qual-Effic Services was formed! “Qual” for Quality and “Effic” for Efficiency was the foundation of our company from day one. Other names that deserve recognition are the co-founders of Qual-Effic Services; Terry Jozwiak, Wayne Twist, Lee Burt, Chuck Earl and Kerry Budry. This determined group of folks maximized any opportunity and their personalities, morals and ethics continue to be embedded within our company’s culture.
QEK is known professionally as the world’s largest fleet management company servicing the automotive manufacturing industry. On a more intimate side, QEK is known in the industry simply as a company who cares. We care about our people and their families. We care about our clients and their families. We care about upholding our reputation in the industry as being a company who is focused on providing honesty, expertise, client focus, teamwork, openness, innovation, professional integrity and taking full ownership for all we do. These simple values have not changed since day one and by following them; we have earned our merit as the “Can Do Company”.
“When I reflect on the beginning of this great company, I am mesmerized by all of our successes. Would I have ever guessed that this little company, starting our business out of a trailer in a back alley behind a shopping center, would go global with a reach covering North and South America, Europe and Asia Pacific? That this little company would successfully do business with over 80% of the Automotive OEM’s in the world? It is simply staggering!” quoted Kerry Budry, QEK’s President and CEO. “Our guiding principles have served us well over the years and I am honored and humbled to say, Happy 25th Anniversary QEK!”
25 years ago, the approaches were simple … be honest, keep it simple, deliver high customer satisfaction and always look for ways to get the job done and not for reasons why we cannot! Today, the approach remains just as simple and this is the key ingredient to our company’s success. QEK is a strong team who has delivered industry firsts in world class fleet management and has become a flagship company creating livelihoods for thousands of hard-working employees. If we keep the momentum and live and breathe by our core mission and values, there is no other choice but to succeed for many years ahead.
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Hyundai Selects QEK for the Equus Executive Demo Drive Program
Warren, MI – July 27, 2011, Fleet management veteran, QEK Global Solutions, is pleased to announce our new partnership with Hyundai Motor America.
QEK has been selected to assist Hyundai in the launch of their new luxury vehicle, the Equus, through a nation-wide Executive Demo Drive Program. QEK is working closely with Hyundai’s Corporate Sales Team to identify how the Equus compares to other luxury brands such as Mercedes, Lexus, Audi and BMW. “Due to QEK’s extensive automotive OEM experience, Hyundai has selected QEK as a valued, entrusted partner to seamlessly manage all aspects of the program. They have gone above and beyond our expectations.” – Richard Pipenhagen, Hyundai’s Corporate Sales Manager.
The goal of the program is to schedule 300+, 5 day executive drives within the Fortune 1000 companies to obtain knowledgeable product feedback from chief level executives. QEK has placed Product Specialists within each of Hyundai’s 5 regional offices (Chicago, New Jersey, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles) to provide a turn-key program which includes target audience identification, driver selection and concierge, white glove vehicle deliveries. The utilization of QEK’s very own asset management software, eGAMS, is being used to track all vehicle related activity throughout the program with analytics to support a successful outcome. “QEK is enthusiastically setting the tone to all selected drivers on the professional quality standards Hyundai presumes in the marketplace. Equus customers will receive the same professional, white glove delivery service for all future product sales.” -Craig Cheatle, QEK’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
The outcome of this Demo Drive Program has been instrumental in product feedback, increased brand awareness, as well as the future growth of the Hyundai brand and the survey results of this program have been staggering. Out of all participants surveyed, 100% feel this Equus Executive Demo Drive is an effective way to expose the luxury vehicle to customers who have not considered Hyundai products. 76% would recommend the Equus to family, friends, colleagues and peers. Some further feedback follows:
“Outstanding vehicle. I owned a Lexus LS430 for a while and found this to be a better car.”
“It was a great experience with the door to door drop-off. I think the Equus is an impressive sedan. The ride is very solid and self assured, low road nose, with very good power.”
Great car. Great build quality. Amazing features. Powerful.”
“Tremendous experience. Thanks for the great vehicle and fine customer service.”
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Toyota Utilizes the Best Practices of QEK to Manage their Nation-Wide Fleet
Warren, MI – June 8, 2011 - Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. selected QEK Global Solutions (US), Inc. to be their exclusive managed service provider for 16,000 vehicles nation-wide. Along with a fully integrated team of QEK fleet administrators, Toyota is also implementing QEK’s web-based asset management software, eGAMS®, to improve the visibility and utilization of their fleet. QEK currently provides the following services within Toyota’s headquarters in Torrance, CA:
Administration of Company Vehicle Service Operations
Birth to Grave Asset Management
Ordering
Receipt
Prep
Plate/renewals
Rental and body loaner use
New and used vehicle sales direct to employee
Disposal
“We are very excited about our newly established Toyota relationship and are committed to providing world class asset management solutions and software. Toyota will see nothing less than outstanding results to maintain our commitment to quality and customer service.” - Kerry Budry, Chief Executive Officer of QEK.
eGAMS®, QEK’s electronic Global Asset Management Software, will allow Toyota to replace their multiple inventory management systems and associate portals. It will also give them a complete, real-time picture of their valuable assets and associated costs. eGAMS® is a Software as a Service (SaaS) system which will seamlessly streamline Toyota’s current, manual processes and allow them to focus on their core business.
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April 12, 2011
QEK Team Enrolls in NAFA CAFM Curriculum
QEK is pleased to announce that 15 members of QEK’s management team will begin the 2011 National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) educational program. “QEK’s mission behind this industry leading initiative is to further demonstrate our commitment to excellence and dedication to customer focus” quoted Kerry Budry, QEK’s President and CEO.
NAFA is the world’s largest association for vehicle fleet management professionals and QEK has been a member of this respected organization for 15 years. Since 1957, NAFA’s purpose has been to promote the highest levels of professional vehicle management, enabling all members to improve their ability to contribute to their organization’s success. Most recently, NAFA became a member of the Center for Professional Fleet Certification (CPFC). The CPFC is an alliance of companies involved in vehicle fleet management brought together to advance industry professionalism through organizational certification programs. CPFC exists to advance the vehicle fleet management profession by establishing standards of excellence, certifying attainment of those standards, and communicating those standards so they attain universal acceptance.
In April, the selected QEK managers will hit the CAFM books to embark on this ground breaking educational journey, which will earn them the highest designation a person can earn in “fleet management”. This intense program encompasses eight (8) fleet management disciplines including: Business, Maintenance, Risk, Professional Development, Asset, Financial, Fleet Information and Vehicle Fuel. All of the 15 QEK participants have volunteered their time, effort and dedication to complete this initiative. QEK is proud to make this investment in our most valuable company assets … our PEOPLE!
Upon program completion, the 15 QEK managers participating in the training will have earned the honorable title of CAFM, which is a widely recognized achievement in the fleet industry. This title, like any other specialized discipline, allows QEK to demonstrate our commitment to being the best at what we do in the industries we serve. We look forward to sharing our education with you to continue to provide “best in class” fleet management services.
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QEK US Headquarters is on the “Move”
Effective December 1, 2010, QEK Global Solutions (US), Inc. will be relocating their corporate office currently at 6001 Adams Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI. 48304 to 7047 Murthum Avenue, Warren, MI. 48092. The new facility will centralize QEK’s Executive Offices, Finance, Human Resources, Sales and Marketing and several Operational teams. The centralization of QEK’s employees is the primary reason behind this initiative.
“The new QEK headquarter facility will provide the capacity for continued growth and will showcase the company’s organizational focus on customer satisfaction.” stated Kerry Budry, QEK’s President and CEO.
QEK’s new 55,000 square foot headquarters is located in the epicenter of Michigan’s automotive industry. Along with their core service in providing automotive fleet solutions, QEK serves the specialty vehicle needs of their client base in the show and event and vehicle prep arenas. The new facility includes state of the art paint booths with pre-prep paint stations, a quality light tunnel inspection area, numerous flat stall workstations, hoists and all of the latest special diagnostic equipment. The facility will offer a complete one stop shop for exceeding any vehicle related request.
Please stay tuned for more information at Web Site | LinkedIn.
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QEK Swings Fore Scholarships with the Automotive Women’s Alliance (AWA)
Bloomfield Hills, MI - August 17, 2010 - QEK’s Business Development Team swung fore the winning trophy during the AWA 15th annual golf outing on August 17th at Forest Lake Country Club. The QEK team (consisting of Craig Cheatle, Kelly Henderson, Jaclyn Sikora and Monica Diehl) brought back a 1st place trophy in the mixed championship division.
The AWA sponsored a great outing which rose close to $45,000 to support the AWAF scholarship program and QEK was proud to be a part of it. AWA partnered with major OEMs, Tier One and Two suppliers, retail establishments and automotive dealerships to provide financial support for this very worthy fundraising event that has awarded $144,500 in scholarships to 59 students since 2001.
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QEK Canada Goes for the Gold during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
Bloomfield Hills, MI – August 16, 2010 - For most of the world, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games was a 17 day celebration; for QEK Global Solutions (Canada), Inc, it has been a lot more.
Beginning March 1st, 2010, QEK started receiving vehicles back from VANOC to manage the subsequent disposal. This required considerable coordination between QEK Canada, QEK US, and the QEK IT department to process the US vehicles.
In addition to managing the VANOC fleet through the use of QEK’s electronic Global Asset Management Software (eGAMS), QEK Canada provided fleet maintenance for the Olympic Torch Relay convoy vehicles. QEK led the team on a 45,000 km (27,961.77 miles) 106-day tour from one end of Canada to the other. Each night, the Relay stopped at a different location, where the crew would set up operations washing vehicles, performing minor maintenance or large repairs.
The Olympic Games officially ended for QEK in July, 2010 when all vehicles were placed out-of-service and returned to their final destination. The QEK team went above and beyond to ensure the Relay vehicles were ready to go in front of the world stage the next day. Each member of the group was honored to “run the torch” at some point in the Relay - an awesome, once in a lifetime opportunity!
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Craig Cheatle Joins QEK as Vice President of Strategic Sales
Bloomfield Hills, MI – June 1, 2010 – Integrated fleet services veteran, QEK Global Solutions, is proud to announce the return of Craig Cheatle as the Vice President of Strategic Sales.
Craig rejoins QEK with more than 18 years in the automotive industry at the fleet management, leasing, and manufacturer levels with a focus in the areas of sales, marketing and operations. Craig worked at QEK from 1992-2004, holding various positions such as Director of Sales and Marketing. In 2004, Craig moved on to Audi of America as their Corporate Sales Manager, where he was responsible for developing and launching more than a dozen strategically designed programs targeted to generate incremental sales across key markets in Commercial Fleet, Dealer Service Loaner, VIP, Rental, and European Delivery segments. Most recently, Craig was the Vice President of Strategic Development at AmeriFleet Transportation where he was responsible for heading up the new business development and client services teams.
Kerry Budry, QEK’s President and CEO stated “We are excited to have Craig back as part of our team, his strong leadership skills and focus on building new business through leveraging relationships will prove to be a valuable asset to QEK’s growth strategies”.
At QEK, he will be a member of the senior leadership team and will be responsible for developing strategic client and business partnerships and for the development of new service solutions.
Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. He is an active member of the National Association of Fleet Administrators NAFA and will be working at QEK’s corporate headquarters in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
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NAFA 2010 Institute & Expo (April 24-27, 2010)
QEK Booth # 412
Make plans to stop by QEK’s booth (# 412) at the NAFA I&E Trade Show on April 24th and 25th. QEK will be opening the season with information on our integrated asset management service offerings and eGAMS software that will hit a home run in your organization by reducing costs and creating efficiencies.Swing by, grab some opening day baseball gear and enjoy the show! We look forward to meeting you all.
NAFA I&E
Cobo Center - Detroit, MI
1 Washington Boulevard Detroit, MI
Exhibit Dates and Hours:
Sunday, April 25 (12:00 pm - 5:30 pm)
Monday, April 26 (10:45 am - 3:00 pm)
See you in Detroit!
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Shareholder's Message (January, 2010)
As we close out 2009, I want to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to QEK. This year provided unprecedented challenges to our economy and to QEK. However, due to the efforts of the QEK team, the company was able to overcome many of those obstacles and finish the year in a good position.
I am sure 2010 will provide its own set of challenges, but with the resolve and determination you have demonstrated, I am confident QEK will continue to be seen as a valuable supplier to our clients.
All the best for a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Roger S. Penske
January 2010 Newsletter