Wheels, Inc. has recognized Midway Specialty Vehicles as the recipient of its inaugural Upfit Supplier of the Year award for superior performance, exemplary service and innovation, the fleet management company announced.

The award was presented to Midway’s executive team, including Mike Violi, president; Gary Mathers, chief financial officer; Russ Gilpin, vice president of sales; Brad Brubaker, director of engineering; and Kathy Franklin, executive administration on Oct. 4 at the Midway facility in Elkhart, Ind.

This is the first year that Wheels has recognized an Upfit Supplier of the Year. Through Wheels Preferred Supplier Program, Wheels has built long-term relationships with a select group of strategic suppliers that create long-term value for its clients. The Supplier of the Year distinction rewards the supplier who achieved best performance overall based on quality, on-time completion, cost competitiveness, innovation and risk mitigation, according to Wheels.

“Wheels actively monitor our upfitters, and using their performance data as a basis to recognize and reward them creates a powerful incentive for our suppliers to drive continuous improvement," said Mark Campbell, Wheels assistant vice president of service vehicles and remarketing. "This year Midway Specialty Vehicles was selected out of more than 200 suppliers because they completed 99.5% of vehicles on time for Wheels, with zero defects. That record exemplifies excellence."

In addition, Midway displayed a client-centric culture and dedication to responsive service that aligns closely with Wheels corporate values.

"Wheels has a reputation for genuinely caring for its customers and vendors, and during our 36 years of working within this industry and Wheels, we have attempted to mirror this same attitude," said Mike Violi, CEO of Midway Specialty Vehicles. "This award shows that Wheels has observed and documented our efforts to achieve continuous improvement of our manufacturing process, and that our performance enhances and increases Wheels credibility and business with its customers entrusted to our company."