Fuel Oil News

Fuel Oil News - March 2017

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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28 MARCH 2017 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com reporting. "It essentially manages the entire customer relationship from order to delivery," Kiser says. "The primary benefits are that it helps us improve our efficiency, cut costs, and provide our custom- ers with world-class service." The software is tied into Woodford Oil's onboard truck sys- tem, which allows the company to dispatch drivers efficiently, know their position in real time, and make sure drivers keep to schedule. Further, the company can provide an estimated time of arrival to customers. "The software also enables us to complete transactions at point of delivery, which improves billing accuracy and timeliness," Kiser says. "And it ties into our customer relationship management soft- ware used by our sales department." Woodford Oil also offers tank monitoring service to customers who want to save time on inventory management. "We utilize cel- lular or Internet service to remotely monitor tank level readings and schedule delivery to ensure that our customers have the product they need, when they need it," Kiser says. "We use several brands of equipment, including Veeder-Root, Centeron and LevelCon. "We use tank monitoring a lot for our large-volume conve- nience store fuel customers and our commercial fuel accounts, but we make the service available across most of our product seg- ments and industries, including lubricants and heating oil, but not propane tanks." SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Woodford Oil promotes its products and services to new and exist- ing customers in various ways. "We have a robust online and social media platform that includes the woodfordoil.com website, as well as a strong presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Yelp," Kiser says. "We value engage- ment with our customers, and utilize these forums to let them know about Woodford news, industry news, and other useful and fun information. We've achieved good success with this type of outreach." A WOODFORD OIL TIMELINE Woodford Oil acquired the petroleum assets of J.D. Kiser, Inc. A family-owned distributorship, founded in 1941, it was a supplier of fuels and lubricants to com- mercial and industrial customers throughout eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. The acquisition complemented Woodford Oil's existing fuel operation, and also established Woodford Oil as a major distributor of lubricants throughout the Appalachian region. 2005 Woodford Oil acquired Beck- ley Oil's petroleum operation in Marlinton, W.Va. This ac- quisition gave Woodford Oil the opportunity to expand its distribution area. 2008 Woodford Oil acquired Guttman Energy's wholesale petroleum distribution business in West Virginia. This acquisition strengthened Woodford Oil's product and service offerings to commercial, industrial and government customers in West Virginia and across Woodford's six-state service area. 2015 2013 Woodford Oil acquired Elite Petroleum of Danville, Ky. This acqui- sition bolstered Woodford's overall lubricants business as well as extending Woodford's market footprint into central Kentucky. 2006 Woodford Oil purchased the Hess Oil Company of Elkins, W. Va. Hess Oil distributed the Exxon, Marathon, and BP brands to many dealers as well as serving the petroleum needs of commercial and residential customers throughout West Virginia. Woodford Oil: A Family Business Grown Big KPMA Executive Director Brian Clark (left) and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles with Kentucky's first Bioheat "wrapped truck," belonging to Woodford Oil Co. Woodford Oil is a Chevron lubricants marketer and a distributor of industrial lubricants, as well as home heating oil, racing fuels, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). PHOTO BY KENI LYNNE PARKS PHOTO COURTESY OF WOODFORD OIL.

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