November 08, 2013

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

ELECTION RESULTS - GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE & MINIMUM WAGE
PPC LUBRICANTS / CASTROL OIL MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER
GREAT NEWS RE: UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TAXES
8 STATES JOIN PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

As you all should know by now, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly elected Governor Christie to a second term on Tuesday. The election was called at 8:00PM, just moments after the polls closed, and the Governor sailed to a 22 point victory, receiving 60% of the vote to Buono's 38%.

What are the implications to you, as a small business owner? Right now it's hard to tell because there's so much chatter about Governor Christie running for President. Some analysts think that he could resign his post as Governor sometime in 2015 in order to pursue a presidential campaign. I will analyze the "pros" and "cons" and "whys" of this decision in future issues. However, one major area of concern for me is the fact that I have pinned my hopes on the Governor's desire to totally privatize motor vehicle inspections. This is a battle that I have been waging with state officials for the last 4 years and it is critical to have the influence and leadership of this Governor to get this accomplished. Right now it is too early to assess how all of this is going to play out, but my eye will remain on the ball.

The make-up of the legislature has remained largely intact, and the Democrats retained control of both houses. Several races are still close and haven't been officially certified. It looks as if Republicans may have picked up two seats in the Assembly, and fell extremely short of their expectations in the Senate, with no change. This has the potential to cause problems for the Republican leadership, with whom I have always maintained an excellent relationship. The nature of my future relationship with the leadership will depend on the ripple effects of this disappointing outcome, and who may emerge as the leader of the caucus.

The really bad news that resulted from Election Night is what I feared and warned you about for the past few months. As expected, the public overwhelmingly supported the constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage (61% to 39%). You can expect this change to take effect on January 1, 2014, when the minimum wage will increase to $8.25/hour. The cost-of-living adjustments will take place every September 1st. I will be getting details to you soon so that you will know exactly how to comply with this new burden.

Now I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to an amazing program that NJGCA is offering to our members, which can save you thousands of dollars on your annual motor oil purchases. NJGCA has recently partnered with PPC Lubricants / Castrol Oil to create a program that will save our members money and put in place incentive and rewards programs for your customers! Expect to receive a flier in the mail next week!! I am not going to stop talking about this opportunity.

NJGCA has arranged two meeting dates -- December 3rd in North Jersey and December 4th in South Jersey. This meeting will start at 5:00 PM and you will receive dinner and a complimentary drink, while you learn how you can save your business money and provide opportunities for your customers to receive benefits and rewards. This program is a win-win in every respect. You can register right now. Go directly to THIS link to choose the date that you want to attend, and pay directly online!

Some other good news -- Governor Chris Christie announced on October 24 that the state's Unemployment Insurance (UI) fund is solvent for the first time in four years and as a result, employers will not face a $211 million tax hike in January. Because the fund is solvent, employers will no longer have to pay a $21-per-employee increase in their Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) taxes every year. The Governor has been working diligently to continue to protect the interests of our small business community, and it is nice to be able to report that he has been successful in his efforts.

Finally, I want to notify my members that governors from eight states across the US have signed an agreement to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road in the near future. States in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic that are part of this partnership include New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. You know that I have mentioned this frequently in the past and there is no denying that more and more cars will be charging up with electricity with every passing year. And remember, every car that charges with electricity is a car that isn't buying gas from you. Please continue to be aware of this trend. We will give you all the most updated information as it becomes available.

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

Do you have a business for sale? Are you looking for a new location or opportunity?

NJGCA also assists members in selling equipment through the placement of advetisments in Road Warrior!

If you'd like to list your business for sale, publish a location you're selling, or are seeking a business partner for your establishment, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066!

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

11/06/2013:
Business groups, disappointed by minimum wage passage, eye new issues
With the recent voter approval of a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage, representatives from both the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the National Federal of Independent Business said that they believe topics such as statewide paid sick-leave and ban-the-box legislation will emerge as pertinent issues to the business community. Whether or not they will be taken up in the upcoming lame duck session, is still yet to be determined. NJGCA will be monitoring these issues very closely, and we ask that our membership be prepared to take action, should these issues come up for consideration in Trenton or in your own local municipality.

11/06/2013:
4 reasons why Gov. Christie's re-election may be good for N.J. business
This article briefly mentions four reasons why Governor Christie's re-election might prove beneficial to New Jersey's business community. Those reasons include his involvement with the Economic Opportunity Act, the relationships that he has managed to forge with the State's most influential Democrats, his commitment to rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy, and the possibility of the national spotlight being on New Jersey because of the Governor's interest in running for president. Please read the rest of the article for a full explanation of all of these potential benefits.

11/06/2013:
Update on FDA Schedule to Issue Proposed Tobacco Regulations
Several weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products submitted a set of proposed regulations on other tobacco products to the Office of Management and Budget for review prior to being released to the public. These new proposed tobacco regulations are likely to cover cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, and/or electronic cigarettes. The review of the proposed regulations by the Office of Management and Budget is a requirement before any proposed regulations are published. Once the new FDA proposed regulations are published, federal law requires a period of usually 60 days to allow the public to submit comments about the proposed regulations regarding the impact of the regulations and suggest any changes to the proposed restrictions. We encourage you to remain aware of the proposed changes and restrictions that will affect the tobacco industry. Please read the rest of the article for complete information.

11/05/2013:
Over-Regulation Threatens Canada's Convenience Stores
According to the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA), a total of 868 federal, provincial and municipal regulations have been identified as directly impacting convenience store operators in Canada. The estimated cost to retailers: $225 million annually. Over-regulation has significantly hindered the profitability of c-store retailers in Canada. According to the latest CCSA report, sales in the Canadian convenience store industry topped $40 billion (an increase of 3.28% over 2011); however, due to increasing costs (including the cost of compliance with ever-expanding regulation), the threat of contraband tobacco, credit-card fees and competitive pressures, the industry collectively lost an estimated $254 million in 2012 compared to an estimated $1 billion profit in 2011. Only two-thirds (66.2%) of traditional c-stores (without gasoline) reported a profit last year. You can see how devastating over-regulation is to small business owners. We encourage you to remain vigilant and strongly oppose any legislation that will impose additional burdens and regulations on small business owners. Please read the rest of the article for the complete report.

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

In order to be licensed as a Motor Vehicle Emission Inspector, you must complete this course and pass a “Written Exam” given by the State of New Jersey. NJGCA offers this training in a ONE DAY State approved training program that will provide an understanding of inspection related issues including EPA Regulations, Safety, Diesel, Customer Service and the New Jersey State Specific Curriculum. This specially tailored NJGCA course fulfills all requirements.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

CLASS DETAILS:

Class Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Class Location: NJGCA Headquarters, located at 66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081
Arrival Time: 7:00am
Lunch Break: 12:00pm (Pizza and soda will be served)
NJMVC Test: 1:00pm

CLASS FEES:

NJGCA Members: $250.00
Non-members: $300.00

Manuals are included and payment is due upon registration. All credit cards are accepted.

License Fee: Bring a $50.00 check made payable to NJMVC to satisfy the State’s licensing fee.

PLEASE NOTE: If you live out of state, you must bring 6 points of ID with you, such as a license, passport, healthcare card, utility bill, etc.

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh signing up through our energy saving program. We know it’s difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an “accurate” analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available.

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum KW demand is acquired. By pooling the member’s usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #’s, meter #’s service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs. Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund.

Contact GREG CANNON at 973-376-0066 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:

We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes
...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call.

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX

MEMBER SAVINGS PAGE
Check out all of our MBPs and Programs designed to SAVE YOU MONEY!