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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24 AUGUST 2015 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com The Fuel Oil News New Vendor Awards is pre- sented in three classes, as available each year: Fuel Handling and Storage. These companies provide solutions relative to the fuel product (oil, propane, wood pellets, etc.) and include: bulk plants; trucks; truck tanks and truck equipment; hedging solutions; additives; filters; home storage tanks – etc. Heating Appliances and Combustion Technologies. These companies provide boilers; furnaces; hot water heaters; solar and other alternative solutions; hydronic solutions; warm air solutions; function as supply houses; support HVAC operations and provide burn- ers and combustion components. Business Solutions. These are typically home office and operational solutions. They would include back office software vendors; accounting and other professional service providers; environ- mental service providers; business forms and related; and HR solutions. Invariably the companies will offer a wide range of solutions in the same general category. That makes it difficult to have an "apples to apples" comparison. It is also difficult in this for- mat to really dig into each solution in great detail. Therefore our judges were asked to consider these solutions the same way they would walking by the company's booth on the trade show floor – does that seem interesting, particularly useful or unique? This year's judges: Charles Bursey has been in the oil industry since 1963. He now works for industry manufac- turer F.W. Webb, Warwick, R.I., and serves as a service columnist for this magazine. Kim Keil is currently employed at Valley Energy as the sales and marketing director. She came to Valley from Getty Petroleum Marketing, which she worked for 9 years, she managed a territory from Albany to Bronx, N.Y. She recently was asked to join the board of Oil Heating Industry of North East she is the only women currently serving. Valley Oil was founded in 1952 and is a third generation family owned company. It is a full-service operation that provides fuel, kerosene, diesel, gasoline and a 24/7 service department Charity Lombardi-Simard is president of Lombardi Oil & Gas Company in Newburyport, Mass. The family business was started in 1958 by her father, Frank Lombardi and was transitioned to Charity as second generation over the past five years. Charity holds both an undergradu- ate degree in economics, and a graduate degree in business management. Prior to this, Charity spent ten years in a progressive video gaming company, working through an intensive multi- departmental management training program. During this short time back with Lombardi, she has been successfully driving a major growth and expansion initiative. Her business objectives have centered on efficiency and technology as well as expansion into community services. And now, the companies… T hese awards go out to companies (and their solutions) that are fresh entrants to the home heating oil industry. The primary goal of this contest is to identify new or returning companies to the industry trade show space that might be of interest to our readers. The eligibility criteria is being (to the best of our knowledge) first time exhibitors or returning exhibitors after an absence of five years exhibiting at any of the major industry trade shows – AHR, AREE, NEFI or OESP. New Vendor Awards Charles Bursey, Sr. Charity Lombardi-Simard 1. 2. 3. Fuel Oil News New Vendor Awards Our 2015 look at new and exciting companies in the industry BY KEITH REID Kim Keil