Second Runner Up: Baltimore Fleet Management Division Chief Robert Gibson

Robert Gibson’s visionary work with Baltimore’s fleets has resulted in not only a rethinking of how operations are run, but yielded tremendous cost savings. For his outside the box thinking and the results achieved because of it, Gibson has been named this year’s second runner-up.

Gibson began his career with Baltimore in 1978, working his way up from mechanic to managing the fleet. During this long career, he’s always been dedicated not only to the job, but to the people he worked with, and eventually, managed.

It was this philosophy that drove his Gainsharing Program. Last year, Gibson launched a pilot program, collaborating with Baltimore’s Department of General Services and the multiple labor organizations representing fleet employees to encourage and empower them to identify and implement operational changes to improve service outcomes and reduce costs. The program works by incentivizing employees to develop themselves professionally through certification programs and identify where efficiencies could be improved within the department through recognition and compensation.

“I wanted to get my technicians two things,” Gibson says. “Recognition and some money to go along with it. Words are cheap, and people need to be rewarded for what they’re doing.”

The six-month pilot program Gibson instituted in fiscal year 2018 resulted in nearly $350,000 in cost savings by avoiding projected costs without negatively impacting the quality of the services provided by his department. These gains were split between the city’s general fund, the fleet management department’s motor equipment fund and the individual employees, who all received a bonus check of $1,086.25.

And not only is Gibson forward thinking in regards to managing his workforce, but his progressive views of data analytics have also resulted in a fleet that is more efficient, more nimble and more cost-effective. In order to improve outcomes, fleets rely on accurate data collection and analysis. If this data is mined inaccurately, or misunderstood analytically, it turns into a “garbage in, garbage out,” situation, Gibson says.

By prioritizing accurate data collection and analytics, Gibson has increased vehicle availability for citywide agencies and improved his division’s ability to predict problems before they occur. This has resulted in all city departments who rely on the vehicles and equipment Gibson manages to provide better service to the residents of Baltimore.

“We can tell you how much a component cost when it was installed, how many hours have been logged and how much the job cost to the penny,” Gibson says. “We have every bit of information we could possibly need… We can check on our parts inventory, we can see what’s moving and what’s not moving, we can gauge exactly what we need to do by the data.”

This clarity allows Gibson to run his agency with customer service in mind – which gets to the heart of his management philosophy. “Here’s the difference,” he says. “You have to make sure you understand that you’re not just dealing with another agency, you’re dealing with a customer. You can’t see them as anything other than that.”

Gibson’s leadership has been noteworthy, and he’s inspired his colleagues, co-workers and subordinates alike. “He understands the long-term health of Fleet is only as good as the employees and technicians within Fleet,” Steve Sharkey, director of Baltimore’s Department of General services wrote in Gibson’s nomination. “He has continuously invested in his staff… he is clear-eyed about the problems faced by his division and seeks thoughtful forward-thinking solutions.