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GREETINGS AND SAL-UTATIONS! Dear NJGCA Member:
FISCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY. TRADESHOW. FAILING SCHOOLS. MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTIONS. LUKOIL/GETTY VIOLATION. You weren’t imagining things last week or going crazy when you didn’t receive the February 12th installment of the Road Warrior. Unfortunately, we were unable to send out our normal weekly communication because of staff complications due to weather. Nevertheless, we now bring you your normally scheduled Road Warrior – and boy do we have a lot to cover!
This morning I had my weekly conference call with the suits from MVC and Parsons. Although I am not entirely please with the progress, I am encouraged that we are getting to the end of this drama. I do think it has been helpful that they know I am expecting an update every Thursday. I can't say that I have the leverage to hold their feet to the fire, but they are fully aware that I am watching and measuring them to report to you. I’m especially excited for our members with convenience stores and gas stations, as we have a great ensemble of vendors and industry professional lined up for you! However, those with repair shops needn’t worry; this year’s show promises to build on the same caliber of automotive service exhibitors as last year’s show. Still, I am most excited about the seminars we have scheduled for all our members. We are very pleased to present a “Fat Margins Workshop” designed to HELP YOU fatten your bottom-line and remain profitable. As we have all struggled with declining profit margins on gasoline, coffee sales or car parts, the Fat Margins Program is specifically designed to teach you how to fatten your profits on every day products and services. These seminars will take place on Saturday and are a MUST SEE event. Undoubtedly the most popular event from last year’s show, we are once again going to host our Family Fun Day extravaganza on Sunday. This year promises to be bigger and better in every way, with a moon bounce and dunk tank now included in the festivities. So please plan on brining your children and grandchildren, and tell your employees to bring their kids too! This will be a fun time for all to enjoy! Now what do I need you to do to prepare for NORTHEAST 2010? First I need you to mark your calendars for March 19-21st. Secondly, I need you to click HERE to visit the NORTHEAST 2010 Registration Page to sign up for the show FREE OF CHARGE. Thirdly, I need you to go to the NJGCA Tradeshow Homepage to check out useful information and details! You can also take a look at a recent NJGCA Tradeshow Bulletin email we sent out to all our members by clicking HERE LukOil/Getty dealers should be on the lookout for a letter from me that should arrive in the next day or two. I believe that LukOil/Getty has violated the First Right of Refusal law that NJGCA worked to have passed last year. I am asking ALL LukOil/Getty franchise lessee dealers to attend a meeting on March 10 at the Crowne Plaza in Clark at 11AM to review their circumstances and discuss a plan of action. LukOil/Getty dealers please attend! RSVP to Dale in our office 973-376-0066. With our state’s financial situation in ruin, I mentioned several weeks ago that it is likely Governor Christie will declare a fiscal state of emergency – and he has. Last week, before a joint session of the Legislature, Governor Christie bluntly told lawmakers that there isn’t enough money in state coffers to pay the bills through the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30th. With the State Treasury short $2.2 BILLION – a shameful amount of money – I fully expect serious cuts to state services and aide. However, while this undeniably is a crisis that will require very tough choices, you should feel somewhat relieved – and perhaps a little vindicated. After all, for years the small business community has been begging Trenton to tighten its belt and not place heavier tax burdens on the already- fatigued business community. Governor Christie has asked for support from the business community for the budget cuts he is proposing. As such, yesterday NJGCA President Tim Arata testified before the Assembly Budget Committee in support of the Governor’s fiscal state of emergency and asked the legislature to cease its spending habits. To cut the budget and benefit all residents, I again remind you that I am continuing to push every button I can find to have all inspections performed at PIF locations. This would not only save millions of taxpayers a year and be far more convenient for drivers than visiting CIF facilities, but could present another means by which to serve state motorists. However, I still fear an option the state might consider is to kill safety inspections altogether in order to save additional monies. As I said in an earlier edition of the Road Warrior, we cannot let this happen. It will be a dogfight if this idea should gain momentum, so I will need YOUR HELP to prevent it from happening. You can click HERE to read full details on why eliminating safety inspections are such a bad idea. The Special Tradeshow Edition of our On The Road quarterly publication will be hitting your mailbox in the coming weeks. When you receive your copy, please look for my comments regarding the need for education reform in our schools. Since my earliest days owning an Exxon service station I have recognized how inadequately educated students are an albatross around our collective necks. Poorly educated people are not sufficiently prepared for the rigors of the workforce, and unfortunately, they often make poor employees. My personal experience in this was so dire, I had difficulty finding people who could make correct change at the pump! I’M NOT KIDDING and I’m sure you have been saddled with the same albatross somewhere along the line. Over the past three years I have been engaged in so many priorities in revitalizing our Association that I have not been able to share with you my thoughts on this issue. Improving education is of such vital and moral importance that it affects nearly every aspect of society – from your property and business taxes; to how well your employees perform at your establishment; to how sufficiently your children and grandchildren are prepared to become contributing members of society.
Failing to make the necessary reforms and improvements will not only continue to be a drain on your business, society and the larger economy, it is an utter disservice to the very children the current system attempts to serve. I plan to speak more about this issue in upcoming moths has I have much to share. SAVE THE DATE AND ATTEND NORTHEAST 2010!
THE NORTHEAST 2010 TRADESHOW IS ALMOST HERE!! REGISTER TODAY & CALL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS! IN THIS WEEK’S NJGCA ROAD WARRIOR
UPDATE: NEW PIF CLASSES ADDED!!
POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
MBP BUSINESS SEMINARS BY AFFINITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY WITH PH2 SOLUTIONS, INC
NEWS AROUND THE STATE ON THE NJGCA HOMEPAGE
MEMBER SAVINGS PAGE
HELPFUL LINKS
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
NEWS AROUND THE STATE ARCHIVE
KNOW YOUR TERRITORY MANAGER!
Jack Leli: Territory Manager for Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem
Bob Quirk: Territory Manager for Bergen, Hudson, Part of Essex (Northern Half)
Frank Stewart: Territory Manager for Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Passaic
UPDATE: NEW PIF CLASSES ADDED!!
Our Course includes: Everything your technician needs to Re-Certify his ERT license!!!
Class Cost (Including Manuals):
March Class - Rumson --- UPDATED!! PLEASE NOTE: We are currently in the process of putting classes together for April, May and June. If you are interested in taking classes in this time period, please call NJGCA and let us know so we can add you to the list. We are also looking to set up a 2 full-day ETEP class in Southern New Jersey in March. If you are interested, please let us know! Call Debbie Hill to enroll in the classes at debbie@njgca.org or call 973-376-0066.
POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
Ensuring our friends in the legislature are re-elected and advocating for our agenda in Trenton are of utmost importance to the agenda of NJGCA.
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.
Affinity Federal Credit Union, an NJGCA Member Benefit Partner, is offering a number of classes designed specifically to help small business owners. Some of these classes include:
•Managing Money Wisely
Pleas contact Phil Apruzzi with any questions or comments at 973-376-0066.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: PH2 SOLUTIONS, INC. An Employment Opportunity is available for Drivability Technicians with PH2 Solutions: General Requirements: Seeking a qualified repair technician familiar with the fundamentals of On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) drivability concepts such as DTC’s, Pending Codes, Data Stream and Readiness Monitors. Position: Drivability Technicians Role: Market Areas, Demonstrate, Train and Support unique and proven drivability software driven product. Market Areas: NJ Counties - Essex, Union, Morris, Hudson, Passaic, and Bergen
Compensation type: Base + Commission
2/19/2010:
2/11/2010:
2/10/2010:
2/8/2010:
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