About: Leadership

John Flynn has enjoyed an extensive and productive career in the transportation leasing industry that spans four decades. He gained initial experience in full-service truck leasing in 1972 with the Hertz Corporation. In 1981 he founded Chancellor Fleet Corp, where he is credited for designing and implementing the first nationwide use of a structured tax leveraged lease for private truck fleets. In 1990 he founded First Fleet Corporation where he continued to expand his knowledge of truck equipment and lease financing.

John is renowned for his business and financial acumen in structuring complex lease transactions and using information-driven asset management solutions to lower the total cost of ownership and increase productivity. The bulk of his experience involves the acquisition, use, and disposal of Class 8, over-the-road tractor/trailer equipment. He is also credited for an industry breakthrough - being the first leasing company to apply the IRS code, Section 1031 Like Kind Exchange, to truck fleet equipment.

In each endeavor John recruited, hired, trained and developed energetic, service-oriented professionals responsible for purchasing, documenting and administering more than $4 billion in truck assets. He and his team at Fleet Advantage have laid the groundwork for a "next-generation" product dedicated to delivering enhanced value to large corporate truck fleets, matching information technology with new advances in clean diesel technology. Fleet Advantage features an innovative new client-centric service model that allows John and his team to provide consultative fleet audits and reporting that allow a customer to replace a truck at any time during its contract term to reduce costs and exhaust emissions.

Hal Booth has vast experience in the transportation industry beginning in 1973 with Rockwell International. Where he worked as Senior Vice President of worldwide sales and marketing. His global organization represented ten product lines across seven product divisions, covering a base of approximately 300 original equipment manufacturers on four continents. Hal joined John in 1995 at First Fleet Corporation, which was later acquired.

At Fleet Advantage Hal is responsible for monitoring and analyzing trends in the trucking/transportation industry. His industry knowledge provides management, staff and customers with primary research, which is critical to making strategic and tactical decisions regarding asset management. Hal also has considerable experience in the specification, design, and purchase of Class 8 truck equipment.

His long-term relationships with equipment manufacturers brings added value to the group and his truck/tractor expertise benefits Fleet Advantage's customers with application-specific, cost-effective equipment.

Peter Flynn brings over a decade of experience in truck equipment leasing, asset management and business development skills to his position as Senior Vice President of Lease Origination.

Growing up in the greater Boston area, Peter began his career in the automobile industry. Identifying the vast opportunity in leasing, Peter joined First Fleet Corporation in 1999; a transportation asset management and structured finance company concentrating on corporate truck fleets throughout America. During his tenure, Peter held various management positions within the organization, including used equipment sales, managing lease portfolios and Vice President of the Lease Funding Group, where he managed a syndicated portfolio in excess of $1 billion held by the nation's five largest banking institutions.

Peter also served as Senior Vice President, Lease Origination Group, where he was responsible for all sales related functions, including the structure and pricing of off-balance sheet, tax-based leases; credit approval and lease documentation.

Peter is active with the National Private Truck Council and has been a member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association for 10 years.

Brian is a market-focused business and financial leader with 20+ years of experience driving revenue, profit, process, and performance improvements in start-up and accelerated-growth environments. At Fleet Advantage Brian is responsible for all financial and administrative affairs as well as building the infrastructure necessary to support the company's aggressive growth. He also oversees lease syndications and maintains banking relationships and program funding agreements with many of the top banks in the U.S.

Prior to joining Fleet Advantage, Brian served as Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer for Toshiba Business Solutions Florida/Georgia where he oversaw the financial, operations and administrative functions for Toshiba's largest subsidiary with 8 locations in the Southeast U.S. His background also includes roles as CFO, VP Operations, President, and CEO with financial services and technology-based companies including Hospitality Solutions International and IKON Office Solutions. Brian has specific expertise with high-growth and high-tech firms and extensive experience in equipment leasing.

A CPA and graduate of Georgia Southern University, Brian is also active in the community, volunteering his time and expertise to numerous nonprofit organizations. He serves as a Board Member and Vice President of Finance for SOS Children's Villages Florida.

Irene Kessler has over 30 years experience developing and implementing Information Reporting Systems for major financial institutions. Before leaving New York City for South Florida, she was a Vice President of MIS at Goldman Sachs. Before joining Goldman, Irene held positions with Bear Stearns, Monchik-Weber and Manufacturers Hanover Trust. During that time, she was responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of systems such as Portfolio, Treasury/Cash Management, Vault Management and Commercial Lending.

In 1997, Irene joined First Fleet Corporation as CIO where she developed the in-house management system which supported First Fleet's unique approach of end to end asset management leasing.

Irene joined Fleet Advantage in July of 2010 and is responsible for the design and implementation of its customer-centric database, which will serve as a repository for fleet information to provide an innovative, dynamic tool for cost reporting, benchmarking, and overall fleet management. This information is available through a customer portal, allowing customers access to real-time data to better manage their fleet, operations and costs.