Fontaine president elected to NTEA board of trustees
Paul Kokalis, president of Fontaine Modification has been elected to serve as a Manufacturer Trustee on the NTEA Board of Trustees. NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry, represents nearly 1,800 companies that manufacture, distribute, install, sell and repair commercial trucks, truck bodies, truck equipment, trailers and accessories.Kokalis assumed his new role at the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting held in conjunction with The Work Truck Show 2016, and will serve a three-year term.Kokalis has spent 28 years at Fontaine Modification, which is part of Marmon Highway Technologies (MHT). He joined the company in 1986 in a sales and marketing role. He went on to hold several sales positions, including serving as the sales manager of a new Charlotte, NC, modification center in 1988.In 1993, he led the opening of a modification center in Dublin, Va., and operated it as general manager. He was promoted to vice president of operations for the entire company in 2010, and to president in 2013. As a long-time NTEA member, is looking forward to adding Fontaine’s voice to the conversation guiding development of new vocational truck products and services.“I am excited about collaborating with others in our industry to come up with innovative ways to guide our future,” said Kokalis. “Key issues such as attracting young talent to the industry, better perception of alternative fuel systems, and the challenge of regulatory compliance will be high priorities for me. The NTEA is a capable ally for our customers – and their customers – in fostering and adapting to the realities of what’s ahead.”