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Tuesday, Oct. 17
At the
PEI 10-Groups Breakfast &
General Session, New York Times bestselling author Steve
McClatchy will present “Lead, Don’t Just Manage the Process.” McClatchy’s
engaging talk will explain the importance of:
- Understanding the difference between leading and managing.
- Adopting new strategies for improving your business.
- Managing resistance and gaining commitment to change.
Note: If you are not a PEI 10-Groups member and would like
to attend this session, contact Bob Young at byoung@pei.org or 918-236-3966
to RSVP.
The
PEI Women will hear Steve McClatchy discuss how to “Work
Smarter, Reduce Your Stress & Lead by Example” and the
PEI Young Executives
Discussion Groups will help emerging leaders discover how their peers
manage today’s most challenging business issues.
Wednesday, Oct. 18
The Kick-Off Breakfast
features an inspiring presentation by Mike Abrashoff, former commander of
the USS Benfold and author of It’s Your Ship. At 36, Abrashoff
took command of the USS Benfold, the ship with the highest turnover
rate in the U.S. Navy. In only 12 months, Abrashoff’s innovative leadership
drove the Benfold to a No. 1 performance ranking among all ships in
the U.S. fleet. In Chicago, Abrashoff will explain how strategies similar to
those he used also can help business leaders “right their ships.” Tickets to
the Kick-Off Breakfast are $30 and can be purchased online or by calling
Sondra Sutton at 918-236-3967.
Other Wednesday
educational sessions include:
- Economic Outlook by Brian Beaulieu, CEO of ITR Economics and
chief economist for Vistage International. This entertaining session
includes short- and long-term global economic forecasts, regional economic
updates, a forecast for inflation and the economic indicators executives
should follow to improve performance.
- Safety: Confined Space Entry by Art Sodermark, president of
Platinum Engineering & Safety and the author of the popular “Safe Practices”
department in the PEI Journal. This hands-on session offers the
latest guidance and best practices on some of the most dangerous work PEI
members are called to do.
- True Cost of Labor for Revenue-Producing Employees by Joey
Cheek, executive vice president, Guardian Fueling Technologies and a past
PEI president. How can you determine the actual hourly cost of labor for
service technicians, installers and other revenue-producing employees—and
how can you make money on this work? This session will give you the insight
required to answer those questions for your operation.
- How to Find and Keep the Right Employees for Your Business
(Without Stealing From the Competition!) by Kathryn Newton, Ph.D., MBA,
associate dean for Graduate Programs, Supply Chain Management, Purdue
University. Distributors typically spend about half of their gross margin on
employee wages and benefits. This session will show you the secrets of
recruiting for success, retaining A+ employees and using feedback to enhance
performance.
- Your Exit: How Smart Business Owners Are Rapidly Building Their
Organizations’ Value by Gene Marks, CPA, owner and operator of the Marks
Group PC. Learn why so many business owners will be selling their business
in the next few years and how you can capitalize on that trend. Marks
provides the essential tools you need to value your business. You might not
like what he tells you! But you will walk away with critical, real-life
tactics for operating your company at its highest level.
Thursday, Oct. 19
-
PEI Membership Breakfast & Meeting. All PEI members are
encouraged to attend the annual membership meeting and complimentary
breakfast. PEI President Craig Hoyer will reflect on his year in office, and
PEI Executive Vice President Rick Long will provide an update on where the
industry is and where it’s going. New PEI officers also will be elected and
new directors installed.
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The Internet of Things and Cybersecurity. As more and more
technology hits the forecourt, the industry can leverage the experience of
electric utilities, which have already dealt with many of the concerns we
now face, including critical infrastructure protections; big data
aggregators and analytics; consumer engagement; customer information
systems; mobile payment; and security protocols. The panel of experts also
will field questions from the audience.
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Fuels and Fuel Equipment. This fast-paced panel discussion
will feature short talks from industry heavyweights and plenty of time for
questions. Key topics include the cause and cure for ULSD corrosion; the
future of fuels; and essentials on two highly anticipated recommended
practice revisions: PEI/RP900 (Inspection and Maintenance of UST Systems)
and PEI/RP1200 (Testing and Verification of Spill, Overfill, Leak Detection
and Secondary Containment Equipment).
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Employee Engagement the Southwest Airlines Way by Colette
Williamson, manager of leadership and employee training for Southwest.
Listen to the inspiring story of the renowned Southwest Airlines Gratitude
(SWAG) employee recognition program. You’ll be able to take away concepts
for how you can improve employee onboarding and engagement in your company.
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Latin American Session. For
the first time, this year’s convention will feature a special
session—presented in Spanish—on a topic of great interest to members working
in this important market. Stay tuned for more details on this one. The PEI
Latin America steering committee is meeting this summer to determine the
scope and content of this 90-minute session.
The PEI Convention is the biggest event of
the year. Won’t you join us in Chicago?
Register by July 11
to take advantage of early bird rates and group discounts. And while you’re
at it,
reserve your housing
to make sure you get the hotel you want.
EPA SETS 2018 RENEWABLE FUEL LEVELS
On July 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released
proposed volume standards for renewable fuels for 2018 and biomass-based
diesel for 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The conventional
(corn-based) ethanol volume for 2018 remains at the statutorily mandated 15
billion gallons. Biomass-based diesel volumes for 2018 and 2019 also are
steady at 2.1 billion gallons. As in recent years, however, the EPA used its
statutory waiver authority to lower the 2018 volume requirement for
cellulosic ethanol to 238 million gallons, noting the “slower-than-expected
development of the cellulosic biofuel industry.”
Although ethanol advocacy groups were encouraged by the 2018 volume
standards, EPA also announced that it is beginning a technical analysis that
could lead to a reset the of RFS requirements in the future. In making this
announcement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, “The Clean Air Act
requires EPA to reset volume targets when certain conditions are met. We
expect those conditions to be met in the near future, so we are conducting
technical analysis now, to inform future reset rules.”
The complete EPA rule can be found
here.
TEXAS PRIVATIZES METER
CALIBRATIONS
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation June 15 to privatize dispenser
meter calibrations and fuel quality testing in the state. Until now, both
functions have been performed by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Under
the legislation, which takes effect Sept. 1, meters must be inspected,
tested and calibrated every two years by a licensed service technician.
Tolerances are +/- 0.5%, in accordance with National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) guidelines. The Texas Food and Fuels Association,
which strongly supported the legislation, has provided additional details at
www.tffa.com/legislative.
MISSISSIPPI GETS $1 MILLION GRANT FOR UST CLEANUP
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has
been awarded a $1,094,000 UST cleanup grant by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
“Grants made under the LUST
Trust Fund to our partners like MDEQ give states the flexibility to clean up
petroleum contamination from leaking underground storage tanks,” said EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt. “EPA is providing funds directly to Mississippi
so that the state may determine how best to address its unique and critical
environmental challenges.”
FTC LISTS BEST PRACTICES
TO GUARD AGAINST SKIMMERS
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on June 22 posted several
steps retailers can take to guard against credit
card skimming. Best practices mentioned by the FTC include: the
use, logging and tracking of security seals with serial numbers; regular
inspections of card readers and PIN pads that are not flush with the
dispenser panel; and immediate shutdown and investigation of any dispenser
that appears suspicious. For more information, the FTC referred retailers to
a
NACS skimming resource guide.
PEI RP1200 WEBINAR
REGISTRATIONS SOAR
More than 300 PEI members and state regulators already have registered
for PEI’s free July 12 webinar on
PEI/RP1200-17: Recommended Practices for the Testing and Verification of
Spill, Overfill, Leak Detection and Secondary Containment Equipment at UST
Facilities. To learn more and register,
click here.
Registrants will receive a confirmation
email with instructions for joining the webinar.
MEXICO APPROVES E10
Effective June 27, Mexico’s Energy Regulatory Commission increased the
allowable amount of ethanol in gasoline from 5.8 percent to 10 percent
throughout much of the country. Excluded from the increase are the
high-population centers of Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Because
the higher E10 blend is optional, not required as in the United States, E10
will compete for market share in Mexico with other gasoline oxygenation
solutions, primarily methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
CONVENIENCE STORE UPDATES
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent company of Circle K, closed its
acquisition of CST Brands Inc., a $4.4 billion transaction on June 28.
Just days before, the deal had received regulatory approval from the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission and Canada's Competition Bureau after the company
agreed to divest 70 CST sites in the United States and 367 sites in Canada.
With the acquisition, Couche-Tard operates more than 9,000 convenience
stores in North America.
QuikTrip announced plans to add 100 stores in Austin and San Antonio
within the next year. The company’s current Texas footprint includes 134
stores in the greater Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area. Founded in 1958,
Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip owns and operates more than 750 convenience
stores in 11 states.
MEMBER NEWS
Modern Welding Co. Inc. promoted Stephen “Steve” Fort to vice president
of sales and named Murray Hiller manager of the company’s Modern Welding Co.
of Georgia Inc. subsidiary, located in Augusta, Georgia.
Petroleum Solutions Inc. (PSI) has promoted Wes Nance to director of
service, with oversight of the service departments in PSI’s 11 branch
locations across Texas. PSI also named Rob Schackart branch manager for the
company’s Grand Prairie location.
BRIEFLY NOTED
“The U.S. conversion to EMV chip card payments took a step forward
Thursday when fuel-pump maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root announced what it says is
the first EMV chip card transaction from a fuel dispenser. The transaction
took place at a 49 Fuels gas station in Burlington, N.C., at an undisclosed
time.”—Digital Transactions, June 15, 2017
“According to a soon-to-be released Fuels Institute report series,
‘Tomorrow’s Vehicles’ (available in mid-July), plug-in hybrids are poised to
increase market share of new vehicles sold from less than 0.5% of those
sold in 2016 to potentially as much as 4% by 2025. Together, plug-in hybrids
and traditional hybrids could account for more than 7% of new vehicles sold
by that time.”—NACS Online, June 19, 2017
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's updated fall
protection rule, which went into effect Jan. 17, allows certain
activities to be done without fall protection systems as long as the work is
‘temporary and infrequent.’ However, the agency has not yet provided
guidance on what that means and how it will be enforced, leaving employers
uncertain about what is expected of them.”—BNA Occupational and Safety
Health Reporter, June 29, 2017
“The convenience channel increased fuel sales 2.6% in 2016 vs. the
year prior, averaging 149,917 gallons per store per month, which coincided
with inside sales hitting a record $233 billion, up 3.2% from the year
before.”—CSP Daily News, June 20, 2017
ADMITTED TO PEI
- Yongjia Chengding Machinery Co., Ltd., Oubei Town, Wenzhou, China
(mfr)
- Berrys Technologies, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom (mfr)
- Coastal Construction & Petroleum Services, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
(S&C)
- JBM Petroleum Service, LLC, Lincoln, Delaware (S&C)
- A.T.B.L. Fuel Management Solutions Ltd., Freeport, Trinidad and Tobago
(S&C)
- Fuel Pros, Inc., Chino, California (S&C)
- Tbone Construction, Colorado Springs, Colorado (S&C)
- Bulloch Technologies, Mississauga, Ontario (aff)
- Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland (aff)
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