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August 17, 2012 Here's what you'll find in this edition: CLASSIFIEDS! NEWS AROUND THE STATE TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE MEET THE FOLKS AT LIBERTY GAS MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM BELLOMO FUELS POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS! LUKOIL MEETING OUTCOME Yesterday, the NJGCA staff met with a number of Lukoil dealers who are – uh – “unhappy” with their current rapport with the company. Of course, I say “unhappy” because stronger adjectives and other expletives would be inappropriate to use in this communication. To put it simply, the dealers we met with have been complaining about poor business conditions and a lack of proactive cooperation with Lukoil for some time. So, I convened a meeting to discuss these issues, inquire about some of their past experiences, and gave them a chance to air their grievances. I can’t really get into the details of what was discussed, but it’s safe to say we are collectively looking into the matter and hope to take some positive steps – and soon! Approximately 40 dealers showed up for our discussion, but I know there are more Lukoil stations out there that weren’t able to attend. If you are a Lukoil dealer, couldn’t participate in yesterday’s meeting, but would like to get involved PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME ASAP!
NJGCA Executive Director Sal Risalvato addresses meeting participants.
Meeting attendees listen to Sal Risalvato during the Lukoil dealer meeting on Thursday.
Ameer Krass addresses meeting participants on common issues all Lukoil dealers are facing.
Attendees participate in the group discussion during Thursday's meeting.
From Left to Right: Ameer Krass, NJGCA Vice President Kashmir Gill, Roger Verma, and NJGCA Executive Director Sal Risalvato Though August is usually a relatively “quiet” month on the legislative front, we’re getting all kinds of chirping about what may be in store for us when the Legislature reconvenes this fall. Most recently, I’ve heard some grumblings about revisiting the “plastic bag” bill that made so much noise last year. As you’ll recall from the November 18, 2011 installment of the Road Warrior, the “Plastic and Paper Bag Reduction Act” would apply to every convenience store, supermarket, or retail establishment that has over 1,000 square feet of retail space. In case you were wondering, that means YOU and just about any location larger than a street-vendor’s cart! This bill, S675, is still sponsored by Senator Brian Stack (D-Hudson) and has changed very little since it was introduced in the previous Legislative Session as S3083. So what does it entail? The bill would force our convenience store members to charge 10¢ for every bag provided to patrons AND compel store owners to proposition customers to buy a reusable bag. But, the fun doesn’t end there. Unless the bill is amended, come January 2015 most of the currently used bags would be illegal to use and customers could only be provided with reusable bags or composite plastic/recycled bags. What’s more, store owners would have to take administrative steps to comply with the law. Quarterly reports will need to be submitted to the DEP with details on each plastic and paper carryout bag that they distributed in that quarter. Oh, and that dime you’ve collected? It has to be remitted to Trenton to fill the public coffers. You maybe thinking, “Eh, I’ll just offer my customers paper bags – that’s safer for the environment and I can circumvent the law!” – but you’d be wrong. Whether paper or plastic, the regulations would apply to you! Or maybe you’re pondering, “How bad could it be to violate this silly law” – only to learn that entrepreneurs will face fines between $500 and $1000 per day for non-compliance! We’re going to keep a sharp eye on this train-wreck-in-waiting, but to put it mildly, this type of feel-good-nonsense would be an administrative and regulatory disaster for our convenience store members! Trenton has put out a Request For Proposal (RFP) seeking contractors willing to run the state lottery system. Normally, I love the idea of the state privatizing programs since government has a way of running up costs and mismanaging resources. However, in this case, I’m a bit leery. I’m concerned since many of our members rely on lottery ticket sales to generate station/store traffic – which could be affected if a private company seeks to increase their profits. That’s because profits are generated by either an increase in sales or by hiking the price of a lottery ticket. I’m also concerned since any move to privatize the lottery system will undoubtedly also bring with it the idea of permitting online lottery ticket sales. You all know how I feel about that and how it will affect members, so we have to keep this in mind as the debate heats up in the fall. Every fall brings an election of one way or another. Typically we don’t see things heat up until after Labor Day, but this year, the presidential contenders must be ignoring the rule book as we enter the final stretch of the “silly season”. And silly they are! Each side is saying some absurd things about the opposition and (at best) stretching the truth as far as it will go. It’s still far too early for me to chime in on all of this, but remember, we’ll have the NJGCA On The Road - Voter Guide Special Edition out to you in October to help you make your selections. Elections have consequences, so you should be paying attention to the candidates’ stances and how it may impact your small business. Finally this week, I wanted to remind everyone to maintain good payroll practices. We’ve received a number of phone calls from members telling us that investigators from Department of Labor (DOL) are continuing to scrutinize stations as they review payroll records. I strongly urge you cooperate with their efforts and (re)familiarize yourself with proper payroll standards. If you aren’t sure what they are, DO NOT GUESS! Rather, you should call the office so we can help you conform to the current law and help you avoid paying huge fines. This is the ONLY WAY to avoid any unnecessary pain. If you fail to do this, you’ll be inviting a world of hurt on your establishment and could face the prospect of shelling out back-pay to your current AND former employees for lost wages. Trust me, you don’t want to do that! Thanks for listening – See you next week. Regards,
CLASSIFIEDS: FOR SALE & HELP WANTED! After running an ad in the Road Warrior over the last month, NJGCA was able to assist a member in selling his equipment! If you'd like to list equipment for sale, or have an open position you'd like to make other industry professionals aware of, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066 and let us help you get the word out!
8/16/2012: 8/16/2012: 8/15/2012: 8/13/2012:
TRAINING CLASSES!! PLEASE NOTE: FUTURE DATES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 973-376-0066 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE!!
MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE TMP Energy Solutions 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
Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members. 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: 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. ?
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