January 17, 2014

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

NJGCA SURVEYS -- SELF-SERVE AND STAGE II VAPOR RECOVERY
PIF ARRESTS AND LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
MEETING WITH MVC HEAD RAY MARTINEZ
NJ EDA GENERATOR GRANT PROGRAM

In December, NJGCA sent out a survey about Stage II Vapor Recovery. We sent out reminder emails and posted the survey on our website. However, I am disappointed that more of you have not taken the time to respond. I need more responses in order to get an accurate picture of the Vapor Recovery Systems that gas stations in New Jersey use. It is extremely important that you participate. Please do not make us go through the effort of calling you all individually. If you fill out the information, we can provide it all to DEP, and hopefully, we will see some beneficial policy changes. Click here to access the survey.

This week, all NJGCA members received a survey on self-serve. Many of you have responded already. We will send a reminder survey in the next week, please don't ignore it. Your answers on these surveys are the only way that NJGCA can accurately gauge the desires of our members so that we can formulate positions that reflect your priorities and we can take this organization in the direction that YOU help to dictate.

We will be sending out more surveys on other issues in the near future, and your participation is critical. It is the only way that we can serve you better.

Moving on, I read a disturbing article this week about three dishonest creeps who were arrested for rigging emissions tests to pass vehicles that had failed inspections. This is truly amazing to me -- these guys are the worst type of crooks, who continue to give our industry a bad name. They have no desire to do anything right or play by the rules. Their actions make it more difficult for me when I am advocating for leniency and less-stringent regulations. I am sometimes speechless when I think about how often we accompany members to Trenton for these types of offenses. Even long-time members, who obviously know better, commit this fraud, hoping that they can get away with it. As long as PIFs -- NJGCA members or not -- continue to conduct such dishonest and despicable business practices, the honest businessmen among us will continue to suffer.

While discussing inspection, I'll take a moment to update you on a meeting that NJGCA President Tony Crisalli and I had last week with the head of Motor Vehicles, Ray Martinez. We discussed several issues -- one of them is your inability to inspect vehicles less than five years old, even when the customer requests your service. As of now, MVC policy says that all of these vehicles must have the appropriate sticker affixed at a CIF only. We also addressed the issue of shops that do not have Emission Repair Facility (ERF) credentials, but are making Emissions repairs. In the next few weeks, I will share more with you about this discussion.

Finally, we have been happy to receive emails from many members wishing to participate in the Generator Grant Program administered by the NJ Economic Development Authority. We have found several members who we believe were inadvertently left off the list yet meet the qualifications to apply. It is important, if you are interested in participating in the program, to contact Eric (eric@njgca.org), and provide him with ...

1. Your name
2. Your station's name, address and phone number
4. Your personal cell phone number
5. The best email address to contact you at

ALSO INLCUDE...

1. The storage capacity at your station for gasoline
2. The storage capacity at your station for diesel.
3. The distance to the nearest major highway
4. The distance to the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Atlantic City Expressway or any evacuation route.

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!

01/15/2014:
Fuel rules shape vehicles debuting at Detroit auto show
Many of the new trucks and cars on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this year are being shaped not just by automakers' designers and engineers, but also by the government. Car companies, foreign and domestic, are taking big risks with new technologies in order to meet tough new federal fuel economy standards, which require manufacturers to achieve a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. To meet that goal, Ford Motor Co. is turning to lightweight aluminum. Chrysler Group LLC is adding gears to its transmissions. And Toyota Motor Corp. is rolling out more hybrids. Their approaches may be different, but they are all trying to square the same circle: eking out more and more miles per gallon without sacrificing performance or capability. To read more about the future of car manufacturing and new technologies, please read the above article.

01/14/2014:
FDA Sets Up Portal for Reporting Unsafe Tobacco Products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a new online tool that allows consumers to report problems with tobacco products. The Department of Health and Human Services' Safety Reporting Portal (SRP) has been revised to add a new category for tobacco products. This update provides a standardized way for consumers and health care professionals to let the FDA know when they suspect there's an unexpected health or safety issue with a specific tobacco product. Prior to launching this new tool, consumers reported problems with tobacco products to the FDA through MedWatch, the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program, a system that does not ask questions specific to tobacco products, according to the agency. According to the FDA, consumers should report tobacco products that are damaged, defective or contaminated, such as cigarettes containing mold. They can also report tobacco products that smell or taste wrong. To read more about these changes, please click on the above article.

01/10/14:
Tobacco Companies Reach Corrective Statements Deal With Justice Dept: Still discussing whether retailers will be required to post displays
The nation's tobacco companies and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have reached an agreement on publishing corrective statements that say the companies lied about the dangers of smoking and requires them to disclose smoking's health effects. The agreement filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., follows a 2012 ruling ordering the industry to pay for corrective statements in various advertisements. The judge in the case ordered the parties to meet to discuss how to implement the statements, including whether they would be put in inserts in cigarette packs and on websites, TV and newspaper ads. The court must still approve the agreement and the parties are still discussing whether retailers will be required to post large displays with the industry's admissions. Please read the above article to determine how this will affect your business and what you will need to do to be in compliance with this ruling.

01/08/14:
Nearly half of people with employer-based health coverage report paying more than a year ago
According to a new Bankrate.com survey released last week, 47% of Americans with employer-based health coverage said more money is being taken out of their paychecks to pay for that coverage compared to one year ago. And the benefits pinch is tighter higher on the income scale: 64% of those earning between $50,000 and $75,000 a year reported more money coming out of their paychecks for health care, compared to 38% of those earning less than $30,000. The survey also found 48% of respondents want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, up from 46% in the September survey. To read more about the effects of the Affordable Care Act, please read the article. To learn more about NJGCA's partnership with health-insurance provider Association Master Trust, please call 973-376-0066.

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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