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October 30, 2015

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!

• The NTSB ups the stakes on mandatory tire registration; Sale of Tobacco Increases to 21 in Paterson; Staggering Cost of EMV Chip Credit Card Transition; Shell Issues Alert on Credit Card Skimming; NJGCA Diner Tour in Egg Harbor Twp. on Nov. 4th!

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS

- NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information, and to submit a resume, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• Editorial: Instead of Raising Smoking Age, Let’s Define ‘Adult Age’
• Jersey City set to expand paid sick leave mandate
• More reasons why N.J. will hit $1.50 gas by Christmas

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
• Emission Inspector Training Class on Tues, December 8, 2015

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
•Gill Energy: Getting you There!
•Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
•TMP Energy Solutions: Another Way to Save On Your Energy Bills

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

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE

TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE

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

THE NTSB UPS THE STAKES ON MANDATORY TIRE REGISTRATION
PROPOSAL TO INCREASE TOBACCO SALE AGE FROM 19 TO 21
STAGGERING COSTS OF TRANSITION TO EMV CHIP CREDIT CARDS
SHELL ISSUES ALERT ON CREDIT CARD SKIMMING
NJGCA BREAKFAST MEETING IN EGG HARBOR TWP ON NOV. 4TH!

Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a press conference to announce the results ofa year-long investigation into the current tire registration & recall system. NTSB officials called the system "completely broken" and went on to recommend that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) require tire dealers to register all tires at the point of sale. This very loud and public demonstration by the NTSB unfortunately comes at a bad time, because Congress is still debating if mandatory tire registration language will be included in the badly-needed national transportation funding bill that is currently being discussed in Washington, DC. We expect there to be more updates on this issue next week, and we will keep you informed!

This week, I spent a night up in Paterson at the town council meeting with Eric from my office, and with two Paterson business owners who sell tobacco. We fought, as we always do, against the town's proposal to increase the tobacco sale age from 19 to 21. This week I was particularly bothered by one thing: the use of the language "tobacco purchase age" instead of "tobacco sale age." State law, and these new proposals, impose no restriction or criminalization of the act of purchasing tobacco at any age -- 12, 17, 18, 19 or 20. The only party that is penalized when someone under the legal age limit purchases tobacco, is the retailer who sells it to them. I find it particularly offensive that no legislator or lawmaker has the guts to impose penalties on the purchaser, yet chooses to unduly burden the retailer with some feel-good legislation which will do nothing to improve public health or prevent underage smoking.

Next, I want to discuss the "staggering costs of EMV chip credit cards." This term was used by a National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) board member while testifying in front of the US House of Representatives Committee on Small Business. Of course, this isn't news to any of us. I have had many members share with me some very high quotes for installation of the new EMV chip credit card processing equipment and software. In his testimony, the NACS board member estimates the average transition cost at more than $26,000 per store. I'm asking you to please contact our office to get a referral to our partners at FirstData. Our members who have called them have been very satisfied that FirstData has some reasonable solutions to the EMV equipment issue. I've also received very favorable quotes that FirstData saves my members money on processing and transaction fees, and we encourage you to consider using FirstData for all of your credit card processing and EMV transition needs!

**It is important to note that no law requires you to have new EMV compliant equipment... the credit card companies themselves like Visa and MasterCard are now requiring retailers to install this new equipment, or bear the burden and cost of any fraud which customers experience as a result of their information being compromised at a facility with older (less secure) equipment.**

On that note, there have recently been a number of news stories on this very issue, skimming. Most notable was the Shell alert, which warned their branded marketers that thieves are placing skimmers outside gasoline dispensers on card readers, inside the store card swipe machines and inside the fuel dispensers. The Shell Fraud Prevention Team is urging marketers to notify techs and site management to conduct additional inspections for skimmers, which are small devices that siphon payment card account information. Shell also is telling station operators to make their sites a "hard target." The company advises retailers to replace the universal dispenser keys with site specific keys; use quality video monitoring equipment; and place security seals tape across dispenser access points that indicate potential tampering.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that the 2015 NJGCA Diner Tour continues in Egg Harbor Township on November 4, 2015. We will be at the Shore Diner at 6710 Tilton Road at 9:30 AM to enjoy a great breakfast and to discuss important issues in the industry. Most importantly, we want to hear from YOU about the issues affecting you and your business. We will be giving away a $50 AmEx gift card, and our sponsor, Hough Petroluem, has generously offered to raffle off a case of GulfTec motor oil. With a free breakfast, two give-aways, and tons of information that is critical to your business, there is no reason not to attend. To RSVP, please call 732-256-9646 and ask for Jacy, or reply directly to this email!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

In order to be licensed as a Motor Vehicle Emission Inspector, you must complete this course and pass a "Written Exam" given by the State of New Jersey. NJGCA offers this training in a ONE DAY State approved training program that will provide an understanding of inspection related issues including EPA Regulations, Safety, Diesel, Customer Service and the New Jersey State Specific Curriculum. This specially tailored NJGCA course fulfills all requirements.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

CLASS DETAILS:
Class Date: Tuesday, December 08, 2015
Class Location: NJGCA Headquarters -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Twp, NJ 07753
Arrival Time: 7:00am
Lunch Break: 12:00pm (Pizza and soda will be served)
NJMVC Test: 1:00pm

CLASS FEES:
NJGCA Members: $250.00
Non-members: $300.00

Manuals are included and payment is due upon registration. All credit cards are accepted.

License Fee: Bring a $50.00 check made payable to NJMVC to satisfy the State's licensing fee.

PLEASE NOTE: If you live out of state, you must bring 6 points of ID with you, such as a license, passport, healthcare card, utility bill, etc.

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 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!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS!

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

10/28/2015:
Editorial: Instead of Raising Smoking Age, Let’s Define ‘Adult Age’
The issue is not just about health, but about adult choices... Raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products has been a hot-button issue this year. It seems to be every-where, from Hawaii becoming the first state to officially raise the smoking age to 21 to the policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) this week calling for the US to raise the age nationwide. The AAP statement reads, in part, “protecting children from tobacco products is one of the most important things that a society can do to protect children's health.” The question is, are 18, 19 and 20 year-olds actually children? Yes, when it comes to alcohol. Not so much when it comes to voting, enlisting for combat, renting an apartment or getting a credit card. To read the rest of this editorial, please click the link above.

10/27/2015:
Jersey City set to expand paid sick leave mandate
More small businesses would have to adhere to the city's paid sick time mandate under a measure set for adoption by the City Council this week. The changes would require employers with fewer than 10 employees to provide workers with up to 24 hours of paid sick time and up to 16 hours of unpaid sick time annually. Previously, those businesses only had to provide unpaid time. Maximum fines for non-compliance with the law would go up, from $1,250 to $2,000. The fine applies for each infraction of the law. Liberal groups, which have championed paid sick leave laws, calling them essential for working families, are applauding the move. In Sept. 2013, Jersey City became the first in the state to require businesses provide workers with paid sick leave. Eight cities soon followed suit, either by a council vote or via a ballot question, including Trenton, Montclair and Paterson (Democrats in the state Legislature are considering a statewide requirement). City spokesman Ryan Jacobs said the city wants to update its law to be more consistent with the others in the state.

10/26/2015:
More reasons why N.J. will hit $1.50 gas by Christmas
The countdown to $1.50 gas by Christmas continues. Jeff Pelton, senior petroleum industry analyst for GasBuddy.com hasn't wavered from his bold prediction in mid-September that the price would drop to six quarters a gallon. There are many good reasons for that. But the biggest is a glut of gas in New York Harbor. Gasoline inventories at the NY Harbor holding facility hit a record high of 19 million barrels on Oct. 2 and are predicted to reach capacity by November, Pelton said, citing a report by Genscape, which provides data to the commodities and energy markets. "Genscape is a very reliable source and they are saying that NY Harbor inventories may stress the storage capacity," he said. "This definitely gives us hope for that $1.50 Christmas pump price." The factors at play in NY Harbor are the same ones Pelton has been talking about since summer ended, such as lower demand, low pricing and a lot of crude oil in storage being refined to gas. The average price per gallon early this week was $1.93, GasBuddy.com reported. "The numbers are still there to make this a reality," Pelton said. Four gas stations had the lowest prices in the state of $1.67 a gallon. The highest of the low prices came in at $1.71, which was the lowest of the low last Friday.

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

TMP Energy Solutions
Another Way to Save on Your Energy Bills

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 require 12 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 732-256-9646 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
4900 Route 33 West, Suite 100
Wall Township, NJ 07753
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.

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three (3) weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are for reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.