Improving the world one building – and fleet – at a time.

Improving the world one building – and fleet – at a time.

Stuart Dean, a leader in architectural restoration and maintenance solutions, helps beautify and preserve a host of properties including historic buildings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when they sought a new fleet management company (FMC) to improve operations, they turned to Mike Albert, and a productive relationship was born between two companies passionate about what they do.

Starting fresh

“The company was generally dissatisfied with our previous FMC,” says Mark Christmas, Stuart Dean’s Health, Safety and Services Officer who oversees their fleet. “Communication was below par and it took multiple attempts to rectify issues. Having our fleet of vehicles in top condition and always available is a prime requirement to service our customers promptly. We rely on our vehicles to ensure customer satisfaction.”

Christmas says it’s a pleasantly different story with Mike Albert. “With their Advantage program, we have a partnership manager and a client support specialist dedicated to us,” he says. “They’re phenomenal, they’re proactive and communicative. Our company relies on them for many things, from vehicle acquisition to titling and licensing to telematics and maintenance.”

“Our client support specialist, Brooke, is persistent and tenacious while respecting the boundaries of the relationship,” he says. “In military terms, she’s a force multiplier, as is our partnership manager, Mary. They won’t let anything slip. I think of them as the rubber between the cracks, so anything that might fall through bounces back up.”

Listening to the data

With Mike Albert’s help, Stuart Dean has embraced telematics to keep their fleet healthy by monitoring mechanical issues critical to vehicle performance – and longevity – and making the necessary adjustments for fleet optimization.

This data helps to shed light on when to cycle vehicles out of the fleet. “By and large, we do urban-centric work, so we’re low mileage on our vehicles and adhere to an every seven-to-eight-year cycle versus the more standard three to five,” he says. “Mike Albert helps us study the data to know when to retire a vehicle.”

Christmas says the telematics data has another benefit. “It allows us to monitor driving behavior,” he says. “We know if there’s any activity not compliant with our corporate policies and commitment to safety.”

Taking upfitting to the next level

Given the nature of their work, Stuart Dean has two primary upfits: one for stonework, the other for metalwork. Mike Albert has an upfit specialist dedicated to Stuart Dean to ensure these solutions allow for the safest and most efficient working conditions.

“We have to be very mindful of what we're transporting,” says Christmas, referring to the materials that Stuart Dean technicians need to do their jobs, such as acetone, lacquers, thinners, and the like. “Even though these materials are in sealed containers during transport so that they’re not a fire hazard, odors can still permeate the space.”

As such, Stuart Dean’s vehicles have sealed bulkheads to prevent those odors from reaching the driver’s compartment and vents in the cargo area. The vehicles are also equipped with ramps to help workers manage the heavy equipment stored in them. Stuart Dean is deploying some larger vehicles that allow scaffolding required for some jobs to be stored within the vans versus on ladder racks.

Getting a charge out of going electric

Mike Albert has also helped Stuart Dean add electric vehicles with eight EVs in operation between the east and west coasts as of fall 2024. “We look to expand that as we are able, and that involves electrical upgrades to allow for charging at our offices,” says Christmas.

Christmas says his drivers’ acceptance of EVs has drastically improved since Mike Albert set them up with a WEX-delivered charging program. This allows drivers traveling longer distances to use an RFID card to charge at virtually any public charging station, making it most convenient for the drivers. Keeping maintenance costs in check

Not every vehicle in the Stuart Dean fleet – spread among 14 offices nationwide – was serviced by preferred providers. Mike Albert helped them remedy this situation, saving Stuart Dean considerable sums.

“With the system used by Mike Albert, we can enroll service shops that aren’t currently part of the preferred network,” says Christmas. “The beauty of the system is that you can go online and put in a zip code and quickly identify local preferred shops, be it near your home office, while working in a remote location or involving a roadside breakdown.”

Christmas says he recently had an issue in San Antonio where one of his drivers was stranded on the road with a mechanical problem. “Working with the Mike Albert maintenance team in their Cincinnati headquarters, we identified an in-network repair shop and secured a rental vehicle so that we were back in service in no time. Our client, one of our national accounts, saw no lag in service and was not impacted by the mechanical issue at all.”

Enjoying a positive relationship

Christmas describes his relationship with Mike Albert as “delightful.” He says that he meets with his Mike Albert team weekly to discuss matters, plus they gather for an in-depth annual review to talk big-picture strategic issues, such as a vehicle acquisition. “They’re consultative, always eager to share best practices and what they’re seeing in the industry,” he says. “They have a very prescient view of the future of fleets.”

If you’re finding your FMC relationship less than ideal, contact Mike Albert today and experience the benefits of delightful fleet management for yourself.