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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Fuels eIA N e w s 14 AUGUST 2014 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com For distributors who had doubts about the mechanical impact from Bioheat, Dr. Tom Butcher of Brookhaven National Laboratory and John Huber of NORA presented evidence of the positive effects, including increased performance. Dr. Butcher shared research and findings of biofuel testing. He affirmed the benefits of biodiesel and that there is no evidence that higher blends of biofuel are detrimental to heating oil equipment and there is, "no impact on elastomers, seals, fuel lines, pumps or nozzles with on-spec fuel up to and including B100. There are less leaky seals with B20 blends than without biofuel in #2 heat- ing oil." Many of the "problems" being attributed to Bioheat are actually problems that existed before Bioheat existed. The 5 year re-authorization of NORA signifies more research for the industry and outreach to consumers. In spite of scientific research and proof for biofuels, there is still some pushback from both consumers and the government. To address this, there was a panel discussion on the "State of the Industry" with association leaders John Maniscalco (New York Oil Heating Association); Kevin Rooney (Oil Heat Institute of Long Island); and Michael Trunzo (New England Fuel Institute). They spoke candidly of the opportunities and challenges for state government and industry to embrace Bioheat and cleaner diesel. Customer service is a vital piece in an ever-changing indus- try. Best practices seminars with a variety of industry speakers addressed ways to retain the loyalty and business of your cus- tomers. Seth Obetz of Worley & Obetz presented a session on diver- sification for a retail full-service company. He explained the crossroads his business faced at the 50-year mark, "Do we want to stay in this business? If so, how are we going to keep our customer base?" He explained how Worley & Obetz' switch to biodiesel was the right choice for the company, customers, staff and country. Jeri Donadee of H.B. McClure spoke about the importance of direct relationships with customers, especially through a company's service technicians. He explained, "You're missing the boat if you aren't serious about the opportunities available during preventative maintenance." Back office system session was co-presented by Gary Sippin from Destwin Energy Solutions, and Aaron Cargas from Cargas Systems. They both stressed the importance of real-time systems in today's world. Today's customers expect immediate results, and only a real-time system can cater to those desires. Questions about in-house systems vs. the cloud were also discussed. Event attendee and Bronx retail fuel distributor Peter Schildwachter said, "In today's industry it's vital to stay in tune with the research and development going on within the industry itself. Having the opportunity to hear from industry experts was really valuable. I can say that I walked out of the AMERIgreen Meetings at Citi Field with increased confidence and preparedness to run my business." At the close of the sessions attendees had the opportunity to tour Citi Field visiting the bullpen, field, dugout, press room and clubhouse. Visit the event web page to view the full presentations, and see video and photos from the day: http://www.amerigreen. com/CitiField.aspx. New Seminars: – "Consultative Selling" of Weil-McLain high effciency gas boilers including Ultra™ Gas, WM97+®, GV90+® and ECO™; Learn about boiler application, design parameters and pay back calculations – ECO and WM97+ wall mount condensing gas boiler installation, piping, and trouble-shooting seminar – Plus training on the newest boiler coming this heat season – Ultra Gas Series 1, 2 and 3 maintenance, repair and troubleshooting seminar – "Live Fire" steam boiler presentation – "Live Fire" training demonstration – Displays by over 15 manufacturers – Call Weil-McLain at 856-866-7400 – Contact your Weil-McLain Distributor To Register: