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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BUSINESS OPERATIONS W ithin the Northeast, there are 3 major shows that are recognized as "oil" shows. Whether the emphasis is on gasoline, oil fired appliances or service they all serve that market. Add to that the regional shows. Many of our oil heating partners—the manu- facturers—have strongly suggested consolidations of shows as well as other ideas. With the roadshows, this was our attempt to meet half way. A change that should have resulted in less cost to those that displayed products at our roadshows, less time on the road but also met our mission of education. The idea behind the roadshows was to turn the tables around with the push more on the education side, with our attendees being able to earn both NATE and NORA CEU's. For over 60 years, we have represented the service and instal- lation side of the industry. We believe strongly in the need for well qualified technicians to be serving the end users, and we do our best to deliver the types of classes they need to be true energy professionals. We, like other associations, are trying to evolve so we can meet the needs of our members. Our goal is education, whether our members service oil, gas, propane or alternatives. It is a long and interesting journey. We listened to our exhibitors, we gathered statistics of several years, explored options and we talked to our partners and based upon results put together a great program for our audience. Many exhibitors thought they should see 1,000-1,500 techni- cians. These programs were never designed to do that. They were all about new products and education. The 1st Roadshow came within 15% of our objectives, with regards to the quality of attendee and anticipated number of participants. The quality of exhibitors and their support was excellent. As far as participation, Gettysburg [the 2nd Roadshow, held Sept. 21-23] was a disappointment to all us. The property was just right for a function such as the roadshow, the weather was beautiful, the food was good and the quality of classes couldn't have been better. The problem was the lack of participation and support by the industry. There certainly is some very good news though. Knowing that Gettysburg was a perfect spot for outdoor events, we saved our fundraising efforts for our 2nd Roadshow. Our annual Dave Nelsen Scholarship golf tournament was held at The Links of Gettysburg and George Fantacone, (Santoro Oil) vice president and member of the Rhode Island Chapter did a fine job putting the tournament together and securing sponsors and thanks to his efforts we raised over $9,000 for the scholarship program. Care to Ride—with the theme of trying to control costs for our partners this year, (exhibitors) we did not seek corporate sponsor- ships. Therefore, the amount of $24,558.91 raised is so impressive. These dollars were con- tributed by individuals and teams. All those that contributed or partici- pated—great job! Ralph Adams, Parker Fuel, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, raised the most in the Motorcycle Division as well as the highest individual win- ner. Roger Marran, Energy Kinetics, raised the most again for the Bicycle Division, Scott Vadino, Harriet's Energy, South Jersey Chapter, raised the most for the Running Division and Dan and Marianne Holohan raised the most for the Walking Division and Team CT brought in a check for $6379.91, this being the highest fundraising team. On behalf of OESP, we thank everyone who participated in or attended one or both of the Roadshows. If the second show had done as well as our 1st Roadshow, we, along with our partners, would have been pleased and might have considered this type of format again in the future. We invite our members to share with us what they need in the way of training so that they as a company can reduce their callbacks and grow their companies and careers. For now, we'll focus on 2015 with our 61st Annual convention and Trade Show to be held in Hershey Pa, May 17-21st. l F O N The National Association of Oil & Energy Service Professionals 2 nd Roadshow Ends in Gettysburg, Pa. www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | NOVEmbEr 2014 23 Top: Team CT brought in a check for $6379.91, this being the highest fundraising team. Bottom: Ralph Adams, Parker Fuel, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, raised the most in the Motorcycle Division as well as the highest individual winner. By Judy GArbEr, OESP ExEcuTivE dirEcTOr