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November 23, 2011 NEWS AROUND THE STATE TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE APPRAISAL SERVICE MEET THE FOLKS AT LIBERTY GAS MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE OR LEASE A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM BELLOMO FUELS POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS!
Wow. That was quick. Between seminars, voter guides, trips to Trenton, legislative elections, MVC meetings, conferences with USDOL, and more -- Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on us!! Did it sneak up on you? I don’t have any doubts that it probably did. Small business owners are hard working people, and in any kind of business venture where all the responsibility rests on your shoulders, time gets away from you. One day you’re ringing up a customer’s ice-coffee purchase when it’s hot n’ humid outside, and seemingly overnight you’re pumping gas with a jacket on and leaves on the ground. As I’ve said in years past, unlike the commercialization of other holidays, Thanksgiving has (mostly) remained true to its intended purpose: a day to give thanks for all you have and count your many blessings. All too often, we forget about ‘simple’ blessings as they become overshadowed by news headlines, economic conditions, and negative reporting. Even if it’s only for one day, I invite you to stop focusing on difficulties and distractions and concentrate on what really matters! On behalf of all of us here at NJGCA, here’s to wishing you a safe and very Happy Thanksgiving! Last week I mentioned that Assembly Bill 3133, which we have been working on since September 2010, would be heard in committee on Monday. You may remember this bill as the 'Rebate Bill'; it would allow gas stations to partner with supermarkets to offer rewards for points accrued from loyalty cards. Though this was originally written as a back door below cost selling bill, we were able to work with the sponsors and compromise to create a much better bill. As I told the members of the Senate Commerce Committee on Monday, this bill is a TRIPLE WIN; a win for consumers, a win for the supermarkets, and most importantly a win for gas stations. The bill passed the committee unanimously with advocates from a variety of industries indicating their support. You can read more about the proceedings, as well as a quote from me, by clicking HERE The bill now needs to be voted on by the full Senate. It passed the Assembly back in June and it is expected to be approved by the Senate in the next few weeks. Once it passes, it will only need the Governor's signature to become law. I will continue to update you on this bill as it progresses. Lastly this week, I want to offer a word of caution as to what is happening to franchisee and lessee dealers in other parts of the country who have fallen victim to mega-distributors and are pushed out of business. News of this nature becomes more important as Exxon dealers are preparing to receive ‘Right of First Refusal’ packages from Exxon, after the announcement last week that Exxon has selected 3 mega distributors to purchase their remaining New Jersey properties. Recent reports from the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. area have put the spotlight on a disreputable dealer who uses outrageous tactics to force his tenants to turn in their keys. These dealers have now banded together to sue their landlord and combat his aggressive practices to get them to leave their stations. Its actually one of multiple lawsuits this particular distributor has faced over the last couple of years alleging the same kind of conduct. So what’s he doing? Selling them gasoline at uncompetitive prices (sometimes 20 or 30 cents higher than company own locations); failing to repair equipment in a timely manner; raising rents even as property prices plummet; and delivering gasoline regardless if a load is needed or not. Meanwhile, this charming fellow is using intimidation and fear – on top of everything else – to make it so unprofitable to stay in business that dealers are willingly turning in their keys and walking away with nothing! You can read more about this horrific situation by clicking HERE If any of this sounds familiar it’s because the exact same thing happened to a number of small business owners in New Jersey when the major oil companies sold off their properties to mega-distributors. Plenty of Exxon dealers have turned in their keys after Exxon sold locations to distributor Lehigh Gas. Lehigh has also hurt many dealers caught up in other acquisitions as well. However, unlike those incidents – and compared to what’s happening to those poor chaps in Maryland/Virginia/D.C. – the current crop of lessees who face such a divestiture have the opportunity to purchase their locations thanks to our First Right of Refusal law! Kind of puts things in perspective when you’ve fought to get laws passed that actually help small business owners like you, doesn’t it? You can chalk that up as one more thing to be THANKFUL for this Thanksgiving -- I know the current crop of Exxon dealers who are waiting for paperwork to own their stations would agree. Unfortunately I have to include more news regarding USDOL and the task force investigating New Jersey gas stations and auto repair shops. As promised, USDOL has released more findings to the media that claim they have found over $1 million that employers must pay to their employees. I continue to receive phone calls and emails from members asking me about the proper procedures to pay employees in order to avoid problems with USDOL. Unfortunately, even those folks that are making changes still are not complying with the law. If you are uncertain about the way you pay your employees or maintain your payroll records, please call me so that I can instruct you how to stay out of trouble. Click here to read the USDOL press release HERE and the article published in today’s Star Ledger by clicking HERE Again, Happy Thanksgiving to you all and see you next week! Regards,
NEWS AROUND THE STATE 11/23/2011: 11/23/2011: 11/22/2011: 11/19/2011: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES IN OUR “NEWS AROUND THE STATE” ARCHIVE
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 Phil Apruzzi 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 Phil Apruzzi at 973-376-0066 or email Phil at phil@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. THE MEMBER TOOL BOX |
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