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Early bird registration for the 2020 PEI Purchasing & Inventory Managers Conference ends Feb. 28, just 10 days from today.

The conference, April 1-3 at the Courtyard Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk, will offer general sessions, roundtable discussions, networking opportunities and tabletop displays specifically designed for purchasing and inventory professionals.

In the general sessions, distribution and leadership expert Randy Disharoon will explain how to “Embrace Change,” “Engender Collaboration” and “Epitomize Commitment.” Disharoon’s story is as interesting as his message. At 23, he was certified as a nuclear engineer. By age 25, he was leading Naval officer training courses. At 27, he entered the private sector — improving operations and growing sales for distributors and manufacturers in the chemical and power transmission industries.

Roundtable discussion sessions will provide attendees with targeted peer-to-peer learning. Each registrant will pick 3 of the following 6 topics:

• Freight & Shipping Management
• Inventory Management Technology
• Service Vehicle Inventory Replenishment
• Managing the Customer
• Parts Department Success
• Inventory Hidden Costs & Value

Registration through Feb. 28 is $325 for PEI members and $595 for nonmembers. Beginning March 1, the fee increases to $425 for members and $745 for nonmembers. Registration includes all conference materials, three general sessions, three roundtables, three meals and two receptions.

Purchasing & Inventory Managers Conference

House Passes PRO Act

FRP Risers: Request for Information

Illinois Bill to Prohibit Self-Service Fueling?

Respond to this Newsletter

by e-mail to the editor, Rick Long at rlong@pei.org

Attendees who book rooms at the Courtyard Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk by March 20 will receive PEI’s discounted rate of $150 per night. Book your room here.

Conference tabletop sponsors include: ESCO Services, Freedom Electronics, Husky Corp., Morrison Bros. Co., Performance Ink, PMP Corp., Power Integrity, RDM Industrial Electronics and Universal Valve. RDM Industrial Electronics also is the Welcome Station Sponsor.

U.S. HOUSE PASSES “PRO ACT”
The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 6 passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Among other provisions, the PRO Act would: invalidate right-to-work laws currently in place in 27 states; replace secret ballots in union representation elections with union-generated “card-check” tallies; require employers to turn over employees’ contact information without employee consent; and prohibit arbitration agreements in employment contracts.

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of other business associations lobbied against passage. Although unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, that could change if Democrats retake the Senate in November. You can read NAW’s summary of the bill here.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: FIBERGLASS REINFORCED PLASTIC (FRP) RISERS
The current (2017) edition of PEI/RP100: Recommended Practices for Installation of Underground Liquid Storage Systems does not recommend the use of non-metallic tank risers. However, in an effort to combat metallic corrosion, manufacturers recently have developed a new generation of heavy-gauge/heavy-duty fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) tank riser piping and fitting assemblies. 

To determine whether PEI/RP100 should be amended to recommend both FRP and metallic tank risers, the RP100 Committee invites members with installation experience or other knowledge of the new FRP risers to share their perspectives (pro or con) by March 10. To do so, visit www.pei.org/rp100 and click the Comment Now link.

ILLINOIS BILL TO PROHIBIT SELF-SERVE FUELING?
The Gas Station Attendant Act, introduced Feb. 5 in the Illinois General Assembly, provides: “No gas may be pumped at a gas station in this State unless it is pumped by a gas station attendant employed at the gas station.”

This language would appear to prohibit drivers from filling up their own vehicles, but Rep. Camille Lilly, the Chicago legislator who introduced the measure, said Feb. 13 that was not her intent. Rather, Lilly said, the bill was meant to increase safety and provide consumers with the option of attendant fueling.

Lilly moved to table the controversial measure Feb. 14.

FLORIDA ANNOUNCES EV CHARGING STATION GRANTS
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is accepting bids for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 27 sites along interstate highway evacuation corridors. Each site will be eligible for up to $500,000 in grants. Applications are due April 7 to the Department’s Division of Air Resource Management. Details and application instructions can be found here.

NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST HYDROGEN FUELING FACILITY OPENS IN CALIFORNIA
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) completed construction of the largest hydrogen transit refueling station in North America. The Santa Ana facility can fill up a transit bus in 6 to 10 minutes. OCTA’s current fleet includes 10 hydrogen-fueled buses, but the station could handle 50 buses with minor enhancements.

EV NEWS, UPDATES
“U.S. Reps. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., unveiled legislation Thursday that would require the establishment of a ‘comprehensive, nationwide network of high-speed’ electric-car chargers within five years. The measure, known as the Electric Vehicle Freedom Act, directs the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy to devise a plan for establishing a network of chargers on the interstate highway system that are capable of fully powering up a plug-in vehicle in the same amount of time it takes to fill up the tank of a gas or diesel car.” — Detroit News, Feb. 6
“NATSO, the national association for travel centers and truckstops, has formed The National Highway Charging Collaborative with ChargePoint, which is said to be the largest EV charging network in the country. The two have signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agreed to ... install EV charging stations at 4,000 travel centers and fueling sites by tapping $1 billion in capital.” — CSP Daily News, Feb. 12.
“A proposal to create an electric vehicle tax credit passed the [New Mexico] House floor late Friday with a vote of 40-27. … HB 217 would establish a $2,500 tax credit for residents whose annual income is above $50,000; but the tax credit jumps to $5,000 for residents who make less than $50,000. … The tax credit is only available for EVs and plug-in hybrids with a manufacturer suggested retail price of up to $48,000. — NM Political Report, Feb. 15.
“Electric cars accounted for a 44.3% share of Norway’s new car sales in January, rising year on year but falling short of the 50 - 60% range the industry forecast for 2020, data from the Norwegian Road Federation showed on Monday. In January 2019 electric cars made up 37.8% of sales in the Nordic country and climbed in subsequent months to an overall 42.4% market share for the full year.” — Reuters, Feb. 3

PEI MEMBER NEWS
Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS) named Matt Tormollen vice president and general manager. Tormollen has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership, most recently as president and CEO of FuelQuest. DFS also appointed Matt James senior director of product marketing. James previously served as director of global sales and marketing at Emerson.

OMNTEC Mfg. Inc. appointed Wilson/Rogers & Associates as its representative in Washington, Oregon, California, Northern Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii.

Power Integrity founder, Jim Fesmire, retired and transferred company ownership to Lee and Michelle Porter. Michelle Porter’s background includes more than 25 years in real estate. Lee Porter, a former PGA Tour golfer, brings experience in construction, development, property management and facilities maintenance.

SloanLED, announced that former president and CEO Steve Shotwell is returning to the company as chief operating officer, effective March 16. Shotwell will lead global sign, spa and classical sales, and manage the customer service and supply chain teams. Bruce Quaa also was named chief technology officer. He is responsible for product marketing, new product development, manufacturing engineering and quality.

Whiteway Lighting, a Hubbell Lighting brand, appointed Wilson/Rogers & Associates as its representative for Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii and the South Pacific Islands.

ADMITTED TO PEI

●     PDQ Service LLC, Rapid City, South Dakota (service and construction)

The TulsaLetter is published two or three times each month by the Petroleum Equipment Institute. Richard C. Long, Editor. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the Editor. Basic circulation confined to PEI members.