TULSA, Oct. 24, 2019/Petroleum Equipment Institute/ -- The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) board of directors in October approved the 2019 PEI Young Executives (YE) Committee meeting minutes that reflect changed YE membership dues from a one-time fee to a $100 annual fee beginning in 2020. 

The change solves a problem that has plagued YE since the group’s inception.

“We charged PEI members a one-time fee to join PEI Young Executives, but the association’s software didn’t reflect active members,” said Kirby Corkill, 2019 chairman of PEI Young Executives. “You can see how this is a problem — PEI Young Executives are 21 to 45 years old, but the software assumes anyone who ever joined YE is active, even if they haven’t been to a YE event in 15 years. Introducing an annual registration fee means we’ll have accurate YE membership every year plus a budget to provide professional development opportunities.”   

Annual dues generated from 2020 YE membership, for example, will be used to hire a professional photographer for attendee headshots during the 2020 PEI Young Executives Winter Conference in Denver, said Kristen Wright, director of the PEI Young Executives program and editor in chief at PEI. 

“The YE committee has been pushing for headshots for a couple of years, but we didn’t have the budget,” Wright said. “The new annual membership fee lets us help YE members elevate their executive presence immediately. They’ll be able to use their digital photos on LinkedIn and company websites, in their email signatures and in bios when they write and present on industry topics. We’ll also use those photos in an upcoming YE directory.”

Members of the 2019 PEI Young Executives Committee are:

• Chairman Kirby Corkill, of Jarvis Lighting in Schaumburg, Illinois.
• Bradley Crawford, of Jones & Frank in Dayton, Ohio.
• Joseph DiAndrea, of Island Pump & Tank Corp. in East Northport, New York.
• Tracy Emerson, of Petroleum Processing Solutions in Southborough, Massachusetts.
• Christophe Giaume, of GIR USA in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• Christopher Hagman, of E.O. Habhegger Co. Inc. in Yeadon, Pennsylvania.
• Tony Hurd, of R.W. Mercer Co. in Jackson, Michigan.
• Nate Lawson, of McCon Building and Petroleum Services Inc. in Flower Mound, Texas.
• Micah Nelson, of S. Bravo Systems Inc. in Yuba City, California.

Anyone who paid the one-time membership fee to join YE after Feb. 9, 2019, will be exempt from the 2020 annual membership fee and will be granted 2020 YE membership.

Current YE members who paid the former one-time fee to join YE before Feb. 9, 2019, must pay the new $100 annual fee to become 2020 YE members.

A link to pay the annual membership fee is available now in conjunction with registration for the 2020 PEI Young Executives Winter Conference.   

The 2020 PEI Young Executives Conference will be Feb. 5-7 at The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in Denver. A casual opening reception and dinner will follow an optional excursion on Feb. 5. Headshots, fueling industry sessions and roundtables will occur Feb. 6. Sessions on Feb. 7 will focus on professional development and business skills to conquer and thrive in the C-suite. 

Founded in 1951, PEI is composed of more than 1,600 companies engaged in manufacturing and distributing equipment used in the fuel and fluid handling industry. Members are located in 50 states and 81 countries. PEI, headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the leading authority and source of information for the fuel and fluid handling equipment and services industry. For more information, visit www.pei.org or email Editor in Chief Kristen Wright at kwright@pei.org.