NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION CHANGES

The first week of April brought several significant changes within industry associations in New England. Veteran association executive Shane Sweet assumed CEO duties at the New England Fuel Institute (NEFI). Shane resigned his position as Executive Vice President of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association (VFDA) to take over for Jack Sullivan at NEFI, who officially retired on March 31. Mr. Sweet has been very active with PMAA and is well respected by his peers. Taking over for Shane in Vermont will be Matt Cota who is new to association management but has a strong background in communications and media relations. Most recently Matt was a news bureau division manager for NBC news in Santa Barbara, CA. Matt is a native of Vermont and as a reporter covered legislative activities at the Vermont legislature. Matt Cota is a cousin to PMAA Northeast Regional Chairman Sean Cota. PMAA congratulates both Shane and Matt in their new positions.

Retired NEFI Executive Vice President Jack Sullivan will be honored April 15, 2007 at a special dinner celebration in Boston. Many PMAA members will be traveling to Boston to say thanks to Jack for his many contributions to our industry.

PMAA SILENT AUCTION ITEMS ARE ONLINE AND AVAILABLE FOR BIDDING

Items for PMAA’s Silent Auction are available for bidding online at www.PMAA.org.  Please visit the site to make your bids, and check back often since more items will be added to the auction next week! Items on the site are eligible for bidding until April 24. Successful bidders will be identified on April 26 during the PMAA conference in Washington, D.C. Bidders do not have to be present to win; you will be notified the first week in May if your bid is the dominant amount.

Several contributions that were donated this week began with a particularly exciting donation from Roger Dreyer and the Ohio Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association. The Dreyer donation is for golf at the world famous Jack Nicklaus Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio – home of the PGA Memorial Tournament. Make up your three-some, and Dreyer will host lunch, golf range, and 18-holes!

Another fun contribution came from Wes Loflin of Northeast Louisiana Wholesale Oil & Gas. Wes will host the winning bidder and guest for a 2 day weekend Arkansas Duck Hunt. The accommodations will be at Wes’s camp and he will provide the food and drinks! This is bound to be a popular item, so be sure to get your bids in early and check back often.

Andrew Thweatt of SKS, Inc. also generously contributed a beautiful set of six palissander (rosewood) French Laguiole steak knives. These exceptional knives are still made by hand in Thiers, France where the original Laguiole knife was crafted by ironsmiths in 1829. Both the fine wood handle and the razor sharp stainless steel blade are ergonomically curved for perfect balance and performance. The knives are 9 inches in length and come with a lifetime warranty.

Arleen Alexander and the Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama contributed several lovely, original and colorful folk art pieces all made by Alabama artists. These cheerful pieces will make wonderful additions for any art lover’s home.

Of course, further donations are welcome for the auction! If you have items that you’d like to contribute, please contact Sherri Cabrera at 703-351-8000 x25, or SCabrera@pmaa.org .

NACS SHOW 2007 REGISTRATION OPENED APRIL 2

Registration opened on Monday, April 2 for the NACS Show 2007, the convenience and petroleum retailing industry’s most comprehensive event. The NACS Show 2007 will take place November 6 to 9 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Attendees can register and secure housing online beginning April 2 by visiting the NACS Show Web site at www.nacsshow.com.  As the NACS Show draws closer, the Web site will feature the latest information on exhibitors, new products, guest speakers, educational sessions and networking events.

Full registration, which includes admission to the General Sessions, educational sessions, expo and the Welcome Reception, is $275 for NACS members and $425 for all other attendees. These discount rates are available through August 31. Other rates apply for one-day registration or expo-only registration. Exhibitor registration will be available in June.

“It’s great to come back to Atlanta for the NACS Show,” said Jane Berzan, NACS senior vice president of events and supplier relations. “In addition to being geographically close to a significant portion of NACS retail members, Atlanta also offers a variety of hotel options, many excellent restaurants in the downtown area and a convention center venue that will work well for our exposition and educational program,” she added.

By registering online and as early as possible, attendees can receive the maximum discounted rate available. Plus, attendees who pre-register well in advance can save time and avoid long lines by receiving their badges and Show materials in advance of the event.

“We encourage attendees to submit housing requests as early as possible to secure rooms at their preferred choice. Only hotels within the NACS Show room block will give attendees access to shuttle bus transportation to and from the convention center,” said Berzan.

NACS and the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) will once again extend its strategic alliance around the NACS Show that includes PMAA-branded sessions. The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) and NACS will also continue its strategic alliance for a combined Show, which was introduced at the NACS Show 2002.

In addition to online registration, the NACS Show Web site contains news, educational session handouts, photos and other information from the NACS Show 2006 and preliminary information about this year’s event.

Upwards of 25,000 attendees are expected to attend the NACS Show 2007. NACS will announce general session speakers and special events in the coming weeks.

BIODIESEL TRAINERS DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP

The Petroleum Marketers Association of America, PMAA and, the National Biodiesel Board, NBB are pleased to offer a series of “FREE” comprehensive biodiesel educational programs designed to inform petroleum distributors on all aspects of biodiesel and Bioheat® fuel oil.  Everywhere you turn biodiesel and ethanol training courses are being offered at prices as high as $2,000 per registrant.  It’s no surprise that much of the information presented at these nationwide workshops has come directly from the NBB archives, where it all began.

NBB has elected to nurture the petroleum marketer’s growing appetite for biodiesel intelligence but in a convenient and cost effective way.  Seize the opportunity to assemble your staff at your headquarters reducing expenses associated with typical workshops that strain both human resource staffing and travel budgets.  In the past companies could only afford to send one or two representatives to multi-day sessions.  How great would it be to have your entire team trained while saving thousands of dollars?  Here’s how it works:

These one and half hour sessions have been designed to provide valuable information to those involved or interested in becoming involved with biodiesel while taking time to answer each and every question before closing the session.  Each Webinar will cover:

·         Biodiesel basics, production, feedstock’s, ASTM specifications

·         BQ-9000 quality program and what it means to the industry

·         Real time production contrasted to prevailing demand

·         Biodiesel market drivers, how will you make money

·         Handling and distribution strategies, upstream and downstream

·         Cold flow and stability concerns and suggested remedies

·         Bioheat® fuel oil, is it truly oil heat for the Next Generation

And finally, this will be an opportunity to have questions answered “in detail” without a moderator waving his/her hands to bring it to a close.  We hope you can join one of the following sessions: May 3rd, 10th and 17th (Thursday’s) 2:00 p.m. EST.  To enroll, please log on to the dedicated website sponsored by National Biodiesel Board (NBB) at: http://www.biodiesel.org/misc/040307.shtm.   When you register on this site, you will get a confirmation.  You must register in order to obtain the webinar information.  Please note that if you are viewing this as a group, only one person needs to register.  However, the Presenter, Paul Nazzaro, will want the names of all of the participants.  I will have him address this during the presentation. For more information on the agenda, please contact Paul Nazzaro, NBB Director of Petroleum Affairs, 978-664-5923 or write advancedfuel@comcast.net.  For general information, please contact Susan Isard, PMAA Manager of Programs & Administration, 703-351-8000, sisard@pmaa.org.

PMAA OFFICE TO BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY, APRIL 6

PMAA will be closed on Friday, April, 6.  PMAA’s staff will be checking in for messages, so if there is something urgent that needs to be taken care of, please feel free to contact a staff member by either voice mail or email.