Fuel Oil News

Fuel Oil News July 2012

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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O E S P The 59th 2012 OESP Trade Show and Convention in Review A recap with commentary from Fuel Oil News columnist Charles Bursey O ESP—THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF OIL & ENERGY SERVICE Professionals—held its 59th Annual Convention and Trade Show from May 20-24, 2012 in Providence, Rhode Island. The event celebrated technology with the theme "Energy—It's a New Frontier...Get Connected!" OESP and Honeywell co-sponsored a Rebuilding Together event on Sunday. Volunteers helped with painting and garden- ing projects at the Groden Greenhouse, which is run by the Cove Center. There were several educational and charitable activities on Monday. There was a Train-the-Trainer course on energy con- trols, as well as a PowerPoint class. The Dave Nelsen Scholarship Golf Tournament was held to fund scholarships for students wishing to continue their education within the industry. Thus far, the program has awarded over $191,000. Attendees also participated in the Care to Ride event, a major fundraiser for Oil Heat Cares. Participants rode motorcycles and bicycles, walked, and ran. This year's Care to Ride event raised over $72,000. The top fundraisers were Ralph Adams (motorcycle division), Roger Marran (bicycle division), Judy Garber (walking division), and Scott Vadino (running division). Team CT took home the plaque for highest team fundraiser (over $10,000) and Judy Garber for highest fundraiser ($5,500). The Long Island Oilheating and Cooling Pros walked away with the Oil Heat Cares Cup. The busy day culminated with a Taco-sponsored opening reception, featuring Providence's famous Waterfire. When attendees weren't taking advantage of educational opportunities on Tuesday and Wednesday, they were enjoying the trade show. This year's show featured both indoor and out- door exhibits, as well as a student and technician competition. Attendees also had the chance to earn NATE and NORA certifica- tion with review courses followed by exams. Attendees were encouraged to explore Providence during their stay. On Tuesday, OESP arranged for a special culinary tour of local restaurants. Wednesday's closing event began with a Grundfos-sponsored cocktail party and then took attendees 14 JULY 2012 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com out on the town. They were invited to choose from three differ- ent restaurants. All attendees met back at the Convention Center after dinner for dessert sponsored by Honeywell. NPN columnist Charles Bursey offers the following appraisal of the event: This year's convention started on Sunday, May 20 when I had the distinct pleasure of joining in with many of the members of OESP to take part in a volunteer project called Rebuilding Together. This year's project was to improve the appearance of the Groden Greenhouse located in the historical North Burial Ground in Providence, RI and sponsored by the Honeywell Corporation, who also had several company representatives volunteering to work through out the day. This facility is for autistic adults to help them improve their vocational skills through things like arts and crafts. However, the main focus is in greenhouse operations, such as plant- ing seeds, watering, crop transportation and customer relations. Having never participated in a Rebuilding Together project, I was amazed to see and work alongside so many dedicated and talented individuals, whose sole purpose on an 80 degree day was to make life better for those less fortunate. The projects ranged from building and installing an iron hand-rail leading into the greenhouse to building several picnic benches. The opening reception of the convention was held at the Water- place Restaurant and co-sponsored by Taco and OESP. The convention displays and educational programs were readied for the grand opening of the 2012 OESP convention. Convention day officially opened with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, May 22. Many at the show inquired about the name change from NAOHSM (National Association of Oil Heat Service Manager) to OESP (Oil and Energy Service Professionals). Over the past several years, many were under the impression that the only people who could participate in their local chapter meetings and trade shows were service managers. Although not true, the time had come to clear this thought and after much discussion and several meetings, the members decided that something had to be done to clarify who

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