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Letter from the Editor DIGIT AL ISSUE Embrace the challenge interviewed the member leaders (the newly elected presidents and chairmen) from the key associations serving the industry.We asked them for feedback on their business operations as well as their perspectives on what's to expect from the associations in the coming year. Frankly, the past few State of the Industry reports have been fairly brutal in the face W of escalating gasoline prices and the global recession.We are not out of trouble by a long shot, but the feedback from this year's leaders was generally hopeful. Times are tough and while some think we've rounded the corner on the recession, the challenges that remain are considerable. But tough times often bring out the best in operations that are focused on excellence and trade organizations that are focused on helping their mem- bers achieve the maximum they can achieve during tough times. Our mix of leaders include a large petroleum marketer, a travel plaza operator, a dynamic fuel oil dealer, a well-established family petroleum marketer and retailer, and an independent auto repair operator. Quite a diverse bunch, but in each case a small business person who is facing the challenges of this economy head-on. A quote from one of our leaders, Sean Cota, sums up this attitude best: “I think there will be oppor- tunities in 2011, but there'll also be significant challenges. You have to figure out where to add value to your business, and I would say the most radical thing that anyone can do in today's environment is not change. If you're going to keep your existing business plan in the current environment with all of the shifts that are going on, you made a deci- sion to change in a negative way.” That's good advice to anyone in any segment of the industry and frankly in any industry in America today. The reality of the current economy is what it is. You can choose to operate in a passive manner and at the whim of this environment or you can take the bull by the horns and make your own destiny. I know, that's an easy thing for someone like me to say. But fortunately, I have some really dynamic experts on the sub- ject—your peers—to back that up. 2 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 2011 NPN Magazine  www.npnweb.com BY KEITHREID ELCOME TO THIS SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION OF NPN MAGAZINE'S ANNUAL look at the State of the Industry.The State of the Industry is timed for the New Year. It provides an opportunity to take a look back at the state of business during the previous year while also taking a look for- ward at what can be expected in 2011. To get this critical insight we

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