Metro Magazine

AUG 2014

Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904

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11 AUGUST 2014 m ETRO m AGAZINE > metro news Thinking Beyond Safety Not all complex problems require a complex solution. Adding user independence and subtracting drivers and tip-overs from the equation keeps it simple. GET ALL THE ANSWERS AT: QSTRAINT.COM/QUANTUM SIMPLICTY Founder of Bobit Business Media, Ed Bobit, passes away Ed Bobit, founder and chairman of Bobit Business Media, parent compa- ny of METRO Magazine and many other brands, passed away June 29 at the age of 86. Last summer, Bobit had undergone heart valve replacement surgery and had been working primarily from home. He died peacefully in his sleep. Bobit's professional career began in sales with Dow Chemical in Midland, Mich., with a later transfer to Chicago. There, his interests turned to publishing, and he was a sales manager for McGraw- Hill for seven years. Bobit founded Bobit Publishing in 1961 after failing to con- vince McGraw-Hill on the idea of an au- tomotive light-duty fleet publication that would evolve into Automotive Fleet. "I kept researching this segment, con- vincing myself it was an opportunity to fill a need. I borrowed $5,000, left my job, rented a one-room office, and somehow got my family (the sixth kid was on her way) to believe we'd survive," Bobit re- called in a 2011 interview. Over the next 53 years, Bobit grew the business (now with headquarters in Tor- rance, Calif.) to include more than 20 magazines as well as various trade shows and websites in the automotive, bus, protection and beauty fields. Bobit was recognized for his commit- ment and long service to the fleet indus- try when he was inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame in 2009. He was also in- ducted into the National Association for Pupil Transportation Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of the Samuel J. Lee Award from the National Vehicle Leas- ing Association and the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance Cir- cle of Excellence award. Bobit was fondly called "Coach" due to his warmth, his wealth of knowledge, his desire to share information and his will- ingness to mentor. In fact, he mentored many publishing professionals in his long career, and he inspired many fleet professionals with his advocacy for the industry. The origi- nal idea for Automotive Fleet grew out of his notion that there were not enough resources for the men and women who managed large fleets. Bobit was a man of outsize pleasures, but none more than his work and fam- ily, which were usually one and the same. Ed's son Ty runs the company (Ed had turned over the CEO mantle to Ty in 2004) and his eldest grandson Blake joined the company in 2010. Ed loved the fleet business and counted among his closest friends those he first met through the business. Bobit was raised in St. Louis, Mich., became an Eagle Scout, and attend- ed Michigan State University, where he participated in football and wres- tling. This year's Spartan victory at the Rose Bowl, which he watched live, was, in his own words, "One of the happiest days of my life." He was preceded in death by his daughter, Bonnie. He is survived by his sister, Rose Marie McQuaid; his son, Ty; daughters Barbara Jusseaume, Beverly Jacobson, Beth Edwards and Bobi Jo Banas; 14 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. For more information and photos, go to metro-magazine.com and click on the "Edward J. Bobit" banner.

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