November 19, 2010

Dear NJGCA Member:

Here's what you'll find in this edition of the NJGCA Road Warrior, and thank you for reading:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!
•Happy Thanksgiving! Promoting you to the public & participating in our agenda

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
•Municipal officials meet in Atlantic City to discuss cost-cutting
•Critics say proposal to cap superintendent salaries will deter capable candidates
•Harsher penalties for cell phone use while driving passes
•Funding for Family Leave to be cut

A REGULATORY ADVISORY FROM ATS
•New air regulations will be enforced on January 10, 2011 -- will you be ready?

NJGCA WANT AD CLASSIFIEDS
•Do you have what this member is looking for?!

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE
•See our latest training class schedule below!!

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
•Participate in the NJGCA PAC today and help us keep our Agenda rolling in Trenton!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM BELLOMO FUELS
•Serving New Jersey since 1910 -- 100 years of supplying gasoline retailers like YOU!

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX
•On the NJGCA Homepage
•Know your Territory Manager!


 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS! 

PROMOTING YOU TO THE PUBLIC & PARTICIPATING IN OUR AGENDA
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Has this ever happened to you?  You’re working away at your shop one day, you stop to take a break or pause to catch your breath, and all of a sudden it hits you: The leaves have fallen from the trees, the days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting colder.  Almost as if you’ve been in a trance, with one day’s events spilling into the next, you finally realize that it’s that time of year again!

Of course, I’m talking about the holiday season, which officially begins next week with the customary Thanksgiving festivities.

As a small business owner, there’s no doubt that holidays and festive events kind of sneak up on you.  After all, you’re so busy with running your shop or paying the bills that little details like that always seem to get away from you.  Believe me, I can sympathize.

However, unlike other holidays that have a decidedly commercial-driven theme, Thanksgiving is the one special holiday a year that’s solely about counting your blessings. 

Yes, that’s right -- I said it’s about counting your blessings!  And God knows you should.

It is certainly true that the economy could be better, that unemployment could be lower, and that many of us are uneasy about obstacles ahead.  Yet, somehow in all of this, we lose focus of all the GOOD that’s around us and pay too much attention to what’s BAD.  In speaking with many of our members, it amazes me how many of us see only difficulties and dilemmas, rather than savoring our blessings and accomplishments.  What’s more, I’m always dumbfounded by how many people (and not just our Members) see only what they lack, instead of taking comfort in all they have. 

Hell, we’ve all had such thoughts now and then, but shame on us all for being so limited in our thinking and letting it dominate who we are.

Don’t let this Thanksgiving go by without realizing how much you personally have to be thankful for.  You live in the freest nation on Earth, you have a small business that provides for you, employees that help you shoulder your burdens, and a family that loves you.  Things could always be worse – and it certainly is for thousands without a job to make a living or loved ones to share this holiday with.

So this year, when you leave your shop on Wednesday night, park your troubles at the door on the way out as you lock up.  Wake up Thanksgiving morning and take stock of all you should be grateful for.  Kiss your spouse, enjoy your children and grandchildren, then share a meal with loved ones and friends. And when your family feast has ended, the dining table is clear, the leftovers are all put away, and the football game has ended, pause for a moment and Thank God for your countless blessings.

Since we won’t be sending out a Road Warrior message next week in light of the holiday, let me take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at NJGCA, to wish you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

I recently got a message from Tom Sadowski, an NJGCA Member and owner of Sadowski Shell Auto Care in Lyndhurst, about an event they were hosting in their hometown.  It seems that the food supply at Lyndhurst Food Pantry was running low, and the Sadowski clan took it upon themselves to throw a month long food drive in hopes of collecting goods and donations to benefit the town.

When Tom contacted us about this, I immediately instructed Nick De Palma, our Communications Director, to issue a press release highlighting what Sadowski Shell Auto Care was doing for Lyndhurst and the less fortunate in their community.  We sent it to our contacts at the local newspapers in the surrounding area to drum up some publicity and notify residents in the area to donate non-perishable items to their food drive.

We are incredibly proud of what Tom is doing and are thrilled to highlight his activity with our contacts in the press.  They deserve to be applauded, not only because they are supporting a worthy cause, but because it is an excellent example of how small business owners give back to their communities. 

More to the point, however, is that every single day, many of you are undertaking a similar cause or making equal contributions to your community.  No matter if it’s helping the PBA, PTA, local school board, the town’s little league, contributing to charities or doing a fundraiser for the boy scouts, YOU are giving something back and helping others.

Just as Tom reached out to us to fill us in on his important news, we want to hear from you!  Please keep us in the loop on what’s going on and what you are doing so that we can help publicize your event for you.  No, there’s no guarantee that our friends in the press will come and cover your story, but it’s an opportunity to let the public know about your good deeds and how you’re making a difference.

As I’ve said many times before, you’re more than a gas attendant, coffee n’ donut slinger, and brake expert.  YOU are a small business owner with a story to tell and a lot to contribute.  Let us help you tell that story and illustrate the impact you’re making in the community around you.  Give us a call!

Lastly, please be on the look out for any Wildfire Alerts and other calls to action.  Just because it’s a holiday, doesn’t mean that the action in Trenton stops.  So if you see anything from us on Below Cost Selling, Cash/Credit Pricing, First Right of Refusal, or the Electronic Lottery Sales bills, GET TO TRENTON AND HELP US DEFEND YOU!

Again, a very Happy Thanksgiving and be sure to enjoy some quality time with family and loved ones!

We’ll see you in two weeks!

Regards,

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

11/18/2010:
Municipal officials meet in Atlantic City to discuss cost-cutting
The New Jersey State League of Municipalities is currently hosting their annual convention in Atlantic City this week. Among the biggest topics of discussion is how to keep local budgets under the new annual 2% property tax cap while still delivering adequate services.  After years of shunning shared services, many elected officials and government planners feel that pooling resources is the only way to survive moving forward.

11/18/2010:
Critics say proposal to cap superintendent salaries will deter capable candidates
Citing the need to keep talented and skilled school superintendents working in the state’s 615+ school districts, education officials warn that any salary cap on administrative pay will deter qualified professionals from working in local districts. Many feel that legal action will be necessary in order to prevent the new rules from being enforced.

11/15/2010:
Harsher penalties for cell phone use while driving passes
Earlier this week, a Senate committee passed a bill that would raise penalties against those who use a cell while driving.  The proposal would make the violation a primary offense and raise penalties for repeat offenders.  Supporters say that such a move is necessary to curb text-messaging while driving and talking on the phone without a hands-free device.  The bill now moves onto the full Senate for consideration.

11/9/2010:
Funding for Family Leave to be cut
After collecting far more than necessary to support the state’s Paid Family Leave program, state officials at the Department of Labor will cut the amount garnished from workers’ wages in half.  The reduction in funds collected will put $57 million back in taxpayers’ pockets.  New Jersey is only the second state in the nation, after California, to offer such a benefit.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES IN OUR “NEWS AROUND THE STATE” ARCHIVE

                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

Get up to date and get on top of this new law!

Contact us and use our easy contact form to request the complete
federal law including all the new requirements for GDFs.  

1-800-440-8265
www.atsenviro.com

NJGCA WANT AD CLASSIFIEDS

NJGCA Member Jerry Sweet needs to relocate his shop.

He is looking for a new location in the Mine Hill, NJ area and is asking fellow NJGCA Members for assistance.

If you have at least 2 bays available, please contact Jerry at 973-252-5151 or email him at Sweetmotors@optonline.net