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
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/235533
editor's note Keith Reid Taking It to the Next Level Y ou might notice a few things are different with this January 2014 issue of Fuel Oil News. First, it's a beefier issue than you might have expected. Second, our coverage is both broader and more detailed than it typically has been in the past. The two are directly related. As with many businesses in the heating oil industry, FON is taking diversification the heart. We have long promoted diversification to our readers and have worked that into our coverage in a steady and regular manner. However, the time has come to take that to the next level. That does not mean that we will have any less of a focus on the heating oil product, but rather that we will have an amplified focus on the core areas our readers are moving into as the industry evolves. This diversified coverage will highlight some of the fuels our readers are embracing in addition to heating oil, such as propane, wood pellets and bioheat®; diversified business opportunities in the HVAC space; and a range of atypical business ventures that our highly creative industry members undertake as they try to utilize their resources in the off-season. Again, nothing that we haven't already been doing for a number of years now, but something we will be doing in a more intense manner moving forward. Another part of our refocusing is to drill more information down to the state level. The state associations work hard fighting localized versions of the same battles associations like the Petroleum Marketers Association of America and the New England Fuel Institute fight federally. Yet it is too easy to overlook some of these critical fights when your focus is more regional and industry-wide. We hope this section will not only help the state associations gain added support for their efforts among readers in their states who might not be members (and hopefully encourage those members to get on board and help the associations out with their serious work), but also help our readers in other states be aware of developments that might move into their back yards down the road. In addition, as the heating season winds down and the educational opportunities start to get ramped up, we will be working to make sure our readers are fully aware of the many opportunities to enhance their knowledge and advance their careers. To tie together our editorial efforts we have undergone some design changes to better facilitate the content. For example, in addition to adding the states section I noted earlier, we are breaking our coverage out in the following areas: Fuels; Business Operations; and HVAC/Hydronics. Each section will have its own news, articles and columns. It's fairly easy to find traditional heating oil companies that have evolved into energy companies. You can also look around at the associations serving the industry to see the same process in action. If it makes you money, falls within core competencies, helps keep employees employed and the future assured for the next generation of the business — it's all good. This magazine has been Fuel Oil News since 1935, and there is no desire to change our core coverage of heating oil today, or looking into the future. We simply want to make sure we support the future success of our readers by providing them with the information they need in the most thorough manner possible. l F ON 8 JANUARY 2014 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com EDITORIAL STAFF Editorial Office 1030 W. Higgins Road Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 847/720-5600 Publisher Jeff Patterson 763/383-4458 jpatterson@epgmediallc.com Editor Keith Reid 847/720-5615 kreid@specialtyim.com Managing Editor Nick Upton 763/383-4466 nupton@epgmediaLLC.com.com Columnists Charles Bursey, Sr. Shane Sweet George Lanthier List Rentals/ Reprints – Cheryl Naughton 678/292-6054 Fax: 360/294-6054 cnaughton@specialtyim.com PRODUCTION Production Manager – Karen Kalinyak Art Director – Brian Snook A d v ertisin g S ales East – Dave Campbell, Associate Publisher 413/528-2364 Fax: 413/528-8835 dcampbell@specialtyim.com Central & South Rich Alden 603/899-3010 Fax: 603/899-2343 ralden@specialtyim.com Barbara Reynolds 603/588-2086 breynolds@specialtyim.com West – Ken Jordan 972/540-2122 Fax: 972/540-2127 kjordan@specialtyim.com MAIN OFFICE 1030 W. Higgins Road Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 847/720-5600 • Fax: 847-720-5601 C ustomer S er v ice 845/856-2229 • Fax: 845/856-5822 Fuel Oil News P.O. Box 4290, Port Jervis, NJ 12771