Texas Fleet Fuel Provides Fuel Savings to Commercial and Government Fleets

    AUSTIN, TX, October 09, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Recently celebrating their 50th Anniversary, the owners of Serta Mattress in Lockhart, Texas are extremely proud of their family business that was started during the depression.

Founded in Austin by Milton T. Smith as a custom upholstery shop, Economy Furniture Industries (EFI) expanded their product line to include institutional furniture and later, became a Serta Licensee in 1959. Crucial to this expansion was Milton's wife, Helen, who ran the business and made EFI the largest independent furniture manufacturer west of the Mississippi River for a many years.

During the 1990s Michael and Brian Karotkin, two of the Smiths' grandchildren, began working in the Serta plant in Austin under the Smith's tutorage. "Since our grandparents had built the business from the ground up, it was very exciting to learn from them," says Michael Karotkin.

Michael and Brian went on to become President and Vice-President of Serta Austin respectfully, and Serta sales continued to grow under their leadership. The company moved from Austin to Lockhart, Texas in 2006 to allow for additional growth and 80% of their employees transitioned to their new location.

"With our growth, it became apparent we needed a more secure process of refueling our vehicles," states Michael. "We had Shell and Texaco credit cards, but their invoices did not provide us with the accountability we needed."

"Brian and I made the decision to go with Fuelman (Texas Fleet Fuel) eight years ago. The control was very interesting to us, along with the cost savings and Fuelman had the computer reporting we needed. Those were really the selling points of the program and it seemed like a very easy plan for us to implement," says Michael. "I also think a big part was the flexibility of Fuelman locations that opened the door for our drivers to more fueling locations."

"Our sales person, Paul Rowe, has been great and he helped us make an easy transition to the program. In the first year or two, we danced around adequate fuel limits for each truck and every now and then, we'd have to call Paul to adjust the limits. Paul has done a very good job for us, as has Texas Fleet Fuel and their Customer Service," Michael relates.

"So basically, we graduated into a more up-to-date program that allows us do more online and that coincides with our in-house technology growth. We started on the program with 9 trucks and now we have 17 and on an average, we drive over two million miles per year. Overall, we have probably saved 2-3% on fuel costs compared to retail prices," Michael states, "so Texas Fleet Fuel has helped minimize our fuel expenses."

Would Michael recommend Texas Fleet Fuel to other customers? "Absolutely," states Michael, "the program is definitely a money saver for commercial fleets."

Texas Fleet Fuel, Ltd. provides fuel and fuel management programs to commercial and government fleets throughout the state, enabling fleet customers to save 15% or more on overall fuel expenses. Tracking vehicle, driver and transaction information both on and off site, the Texas Fleet Fuel Card provides fleet managers the necessary tools to cut waste and restrict unauthorized purchases. Texas Fleet Fuel Cards are accepted nationwide at over 48,000 Fuelman fuel and maintenance locations, providing quality control and convenience to the fleet operator. Customers include small, medium and large commercial businesses along with government and school entities.

Texas Fleet Fuel provides fuel management to commercial and government fleets. For further information, please contact us at 888-311-3835.

Website: http://www.txfleetfuel.com

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