Mike imparted his knowledge from the stage, in meeting rooms, through editorials and articles, and one-on-one with the people he met.
Business titles are useful, but only in a narrow sense, as an expedient technique to rank someone you don’t know of their work hierarchy. Mike Antich’s title at Bobit was Associate Publisher/Editor of Automotive Fleet. While that’s true, it’s woefully inadequate to explain his monumental importance to the fleet industry.
Over his 40-year profession in fleet, he was also a board member, president, officer, secretary, committee chair, conference chair, speaker, podcaster, global ambassador, founder, award winner, and hall of famer. I’m missing just a few, I’m sure. And that also doesn’t cover it.
The fleet industry flowed through Mike. His Rolodex included automakers, dealers, lessors, upfitters, and auctions, in addition to the protection service firms, telematics corporations, software providers, consultants, and, after all, the fleet managers.
The fleet industry’s knowledge flowed through Mike. He took the industry’s myriad complexities — the intricacies of auto depreciation, when to short-cycle, the nuances of TRAC, finance, and closed-end leases, the necessity to evolve fleet policy, and the hidden costs of reimbursement (a favourite subject) — and translated them into strategies that fleets could assess and implement.
Mike was an encyclopedia of fleet history and was the industry’s historian, chronicling its very beginnings to the current. He was also its prognosticator, giving fleets a road map to the longer term. If anyone mentions the phrase “State of the Fleet Industry,” Mike’s name will endlessly be attached to it.
Mike gave his heart and soul to his family, initially. Those within the industry know he gave his heart and soul to fleet, too. I’d show up on the office on an occasional Saturday, and most frequently, Mike’s automotive was within the parking zone once I arrived.
As a author/editor/publisher of a trade publication, it’s smart to volunteer your time with the associations and organizations which are intrinsic to your industry. Nevertheless it is lots of extra work, mixed with some bureaucracy, and it is rarely written into the job requirement.
Mike told me that early on: “The most effective technique to get people to return your calls is to work beside them to get things done.”
Yes, there may be an expediency to greasing the wheels for work, but Mike did it because he truly loved the people. He made lifelong friendships within the industry that lasted long after retirements or profession changes.
Mike was ubiquitous at trade events. I’d walk with him through the halls at conventions and listen to passersby say, “Wow, that was Mike Antich!” He’d be in all places — on stage, in meeting rooms, or within the front row of seminars, where he almost all the time had his hand up with a matter.
His notepad, tucked under his left arm, was ubiquitous, too. On the after-hours networking events, he’d ditch the notepad for a folded paper that he’d scribble notes on after a relevant conversation.
The subsequent morning, we’d debrief within the suite of Bobit’s founder, Ed Bobit. Ed would ask, “Tell me what you understand,” and Mike’s sharing ran deep.
A few of those notes translated into his education for the fleet world, while others were held closer to the vest. Mike was aware of loads of inside information but never crossed any lines along with his sources. That said, he all the time managed to convey what was happening to readers, if you happen to were smart enough to decode.
Mike all the time advocated for the industry as an entire. He knew find out how to walk the road between vendors and fleet managers, advocating for each, but all the time gave the sting to the fleet managers — the explanation for our fleet brands. He all the time had a deep respect for the career of fleet management and for fleet managers themselves.
Mike parted ways with Bobit in 2023 but remained connected to the industry through his consulting. He passed away before he could get that career-capping recognition from center stage, that standing ovation he hard-earned.
We will’t be so cliched to say “they don’t make ‘em like Mike anymore” or naïve to say that nobody will come along to fill his shoes. But we will all agree: The fleet industry is a profoundly higher place due to the heart and soul he put into it.
Mike, we will probably be celebrating your gifts to the industry throughout 2026 and beyond. You’ll get the ovation. And we’ll save a front row seat for you.
This Article First Appeared At www.automotive-fleet.com
