The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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30 JANUARY 2017 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com What can be said about a man who lives his life by the code of integrity, projects humility and strength simultaneously, deliv- ers every time, right on time, on a dime, is an asset to every- one, thinker, doer, follower, leader, sees the fi ve-thousand-foot view—all before his fi rst cup of coffee? Ron Mustello The above words were on a plaque presented to Ron Mustello, the Hudson Valley Oil & Energy Council's 2016 Person of the Year, at the Council's 27th Annual Dinner Dance at Anthony's Pier 9, New Windsor, N.Y. "I don't know if Eli whipped that up in a couple of days or a couple of min- utes," Ron Mustello, general manager for Petro in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., said in a phone interview after being honored at the Nov. 5 event. "I wrote that in about a minute and a half," said the Eli in question— Eli Van Etten, owner of VEO Energy Systems in Monticello, N.Y., a member of the HVOEC board and a close friend of Mustello's. "I sat down and thought about my friend Ron and that's what popped out," Van Etten said. He shared it with his co-chair for the dinner dance commit- tee, Christina Vazquez, owner of Vaz-Co Reclaiming Service, Highland, N.Y., and secretary of the Council, and she said, "That's perfect," Van Etten recalled. "Ron's not only a fantastic guy but he's a real leader in our industry," Van Etten said. L e a n n P a n e b i a n c o o f P a n c o Petroleum, Stony Point, N.Y., and pres- ident of the Council, said, "When we choose our person of the year we look for someone we, as industry profession- als, consider to be a leader in our field and that really is Ron Mustello. And not only do we look at him in that way, but he is kind, he is constantly sharing his expertise which is invaluable for the council and the industry, and he really, really cares. You don't run into too many people like that anymore--who really care about what it is that they're doing and the industry as a whole that they're working in. And that's really why we chose him." Mustello said afterwards, "The whole event was a real honor. I didn't fully realize [it] until Leann Panebianco introduced me with really flattering comments and I was just surprised at how humbling it really was to be up there and be recognized by so many respected people within our own industry. It was really something that I'll remember forever. "It was a lot of fun," Mustello added. "A fantastic evening for me and my family. They got to see just how great the people I work with really are. It was a great night." A biography of Mustello was published in the event's program under a headline that read: "#RusticRon: A Grassroots Heating Oil Story." The biography read: Ron Mustello grew up in Clinton Corners, a very small, rural town in north- ern Dutchess County. Even as a young boy, he was very interested in farming and involved in 4-H, raising hogs and sheep. Growing up in the Hudson valley, he began his career very early (like last year's Person of the Year, Joe D'Aprile), mow- ing lawns and plowing snow. While still in high school, Ron enlisted many of his friends to help get the work done along his routes. Eventually small lawn jobs turned into bigger jobs necessitating the purchase of larger equipment, and a small construc- tion business was born in the 1980s. Ron met his wife to be, Katherine, in 1989, and the two married in September of 1991 [they recently celebrated 25 years together]. Over the years, Ron apprenticed with a few local construction contractors, and then branched out on his own. During his tenure in the construction trade, projects ranged from small remodels to custom- HUDSON VALLEY OIL & ENERGY COUNCIL PERSON OF THE YEAR: Ron Mustello with wife Katherine, daughter Mariel and son Joseph.