December 06, 2013

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

UPDATE ON GENERATOR GRANT PROGRAM
MOTOR VEHICLE & EMISSIONS INSPECTION ISSUES
PPC LUBRICANTS/CASTROL OIL DINNER MEETINGS A HUGE SUCCESS

In recent Road Warriors, I've been updating you regularly on the newest information about the $7 million Generator Grant Program that Governor Christie announced in late October. The program has not kicked off yet, but I expect that the application process will begin within the next two weeks.

Here are several important things to remember...

1. There will be an 8 week window during which you will be able to apply for the grant. We expect to receive more details next week and we will send them out to you as soon as we hear.

2. DO NOT, under any circumstance, hire a contractor or begin any work, before you are accepted into this program. Even if your application is accepted and you are eligible to receive funding from the state, if you have already commenced work prior to completing the proper application process, YOU WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR THOSE EXPENSES.

3. Many of you have been asking if you can get on the list for this program. I had nothing to do with determining the criteria that the Governor's Office used to compile this list. They used their own guidelines which were decided without my consultation. But, I have a small amount of confidence that others may be added into the program after the results of the initial 8 week application window become known. If there is money left over, they may look to expand the parameters and include others that wish to be in the program. I do not want to give you any false hopes; however I have been inquiring about this on your behalf, and will continue to advocate for you.

Please continue to read the weekly Road Warrior emails, because if and when that opportunity arises I will be alerting you that more people can apply, and instructing you what you need to do at that time.

Moving on... Over the past 6 months some of you have contacted me about issues surrounding MVC and emissions inspections, including:

1. The inability to perform an inspection on cars less than 5 years old, even when customers request (or even demand) that you do so.

2. Concerns that emissions repairs are being performed at shops that are NOT licensed Emissions Repair Facilities (ERFs) by people who aren't licensed Emissions Repair Technicians (ERTs).

I've been working on both of these issues for the past three months, and have had both written correspondence and conversations with the Chief of Motor Vehicles, Ray Martinez. As of my last conversation with him on Monday, I expect to be meeting with him and other MVC officials in early January to discuss solutions to these problems. I will keep you posted.

Finally, thank you to everyone who attended the PPC Lubricants/Castrol Oil dinner meetings that we held this week. We are expecting the program to be a great success, and we will be reporting in the future so that anyone who was not there can learn how to participate. Here are some pictures from the events.

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

12/04/2013:
NATO Urges NYC Body to Hold Off on E-Cig Amendment
The New York City Committee on Health is considering an amendment to the city’s Smoke-Free Air Act to ban the use of e-cigarettes in most public places and workplaces. The committee is holding a public hearing on the proposed e-cigarette restrictions this week. The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) has recommended that the committee hold off acting on the proposed e-cigarette use restrictions until after the FDA issues and adopts new regulations on e-cigarettes and completes scientific research on e-cigarettes. NATO argued that consideration by the New York City Committee on Health of the proposed e-cig amendment to the Smoke-Free Air Act is premature and urged the committee to consider waiting until the FDA issues and adopts its proposed regulations on e-cigarettes and conducts the necessary scientific research and study to support reasonable, effective regulations. For more info, please read the rest of the article.

12/03/2013:
Under Obamacare, some mom-and-pop businesses will be booted out of small group health insurance market
For years, mom-and-pop businesses without employees and partnerships owned by two people would buy health insurance in New Jersey's state-regulated small group market. Under the Affordable Care Act, that will end in 2014, and they will have to shop in the state-regulated individual health insurance market instead. Eileen Shrem, a health insurance broker based in Bradley Beach, said the ACA mandates that a small group have at least one employee in order to use the small group market. But she said it's not clear if a business can be owned by one spouse with the other spouse getting a salary as an employee and still remain in the small group market. To read more about these changes, please click on the above link.

12/02/2013:
Small business owners need to talk with their employees about health care before talking to insurers
The cost of health insurance is going to go up in 2014 because of the Affordable Care Act. How small businesses should handle it, isn't as clear. Vladimir St. Phard, president of Customized Benefit Solutions in Hightstown, said the first step for small business owners is to talk to everyone except insurance companies. St. Phard said employers first need to ask themselves why they provide health insurance to their workers in the first place. "Because if you are offering it in order to be competitive (when recruiting employees)," he said, that isn't going to change. But if you're going to be competitive, St. Phard said, you need to find out what kind of coverage your employees need and want – addressing the fact that costs are going to change. To read more of his advice on how to handle to upcoming changes, please click on the link.

11/28/2013:
NJGCA Member in the News: Charlie the turkey is right at home at Basking Ridge service station
If there ever was a time Charlie the Turkey would choose to not show up at Will's Service Center in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, you would figure it would be this week. Owner Will Allen knows better. As confident as he is that cars will show up looking for gas to go over the hills and through the woods, he knows his pet turkey will be there, too. That's right, a pet turkey is just part of the show at the LukOil station on Madisonville Road. "He comes here and hangs out every day – pecks at my windows, chases me around the gas pumps a lot of times," Allen said. Charlie has been doing this for the past 6 or 7 years, or long enough to be given a name, Allen said. To read the rest of the article, please click on the above link.

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

FUTURE CLASSES 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!!

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

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