| The
New England Fuel Institute’s (NEFI) 34th North American
Heating and Energy Expo, held in Boston, was a resounding
success, with a bustling show floor full of attendees and
hundreds of exhibitors.
“The NEFI Energy Expo
exemplifies what our association is about,” said NEFI
President and CEO Michael Trunzo. “At a time when the
energy industry is facing daunting challenges it is
important to be able to bring the retail Oilheat dealers
together with the industry that supports them--major oil
companies, wholesale suppliers and affiliated industry
companies that make the equipment, products and
administrative programs.
It’s all an effort to
help the retail Oilheat Company become more efficient,
effective and profitable. “Thousands of attendees had the
opportunity to learn more about the latest products and
services available to them from more than 200 exhibitors,
while also engaging in interactive business and technical
sessions with leaders in the industry,” Trunzo continued.
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| Featured
technical speaker Richard Trethewey, the home heating expert
from PBS’ “This Old House,” was one of many session
hosts to lead a lively presentation before a packed room of
participants. The Expo Summit business sessions were
similarly well attended, with the keynote session led by
Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) President
Dan Gilligan on the industry’s latest legislative efforts
in Washington, D.C.
National Oilheat Research
Alliance (NORA) President John Huber also spoke about the
importance of the grassroots effort for NORA to regain
Congressional reauthorization and Dr. Thomas Butcher of
Brookhaven National Laboratory gave an overview of some of
the most promising and efficient technology on the horizon.
The lead sponsor of the
NORA Reauthorization bill in the House of Representatives,
Congressman Charles Bass of New Hampshire, spoke at the NEFI
Annual Meeting on Wednesday and asserted his confidence in
the Oilheat industry’s viability and strong future, as
well as the need for NORA.
“I believe it’s
important for the energy delivery business to have a
mechanism to raise funds where you can ensure adequate
safety and research and development, along with conservation
and education,” the congressman said. Bass also reinforced
the value of personally speaking with your congressmen to
support the NORA bill. “I look forward to vigorously
supporting this bill,” he said. “I can’t emphasize how
important it is to receive calls from constituents.”
The 2011 Energy Expo also
brought back the NEFI Grande Convention Luncheon. On
Wednesday, the prestigious Charles H. Burkhardt Award was
presented to Jim Townsend of Townsend Oil & Propane in
Danvers, Mass., for his years of service to a variety of
industry associations. Former NEFI Executive Vice President
and CEO Jack Sullivan gave the Legacy Address and said that
even though competition is vital to the energy business,
it’s important to remember the common goals the industry
should focus on to remain successful.
Eric Slifka, the president
of Global Partners LP, was the featured speaker at the
luncheon, and echoed those remarks. Slifka said he is
acutely aware of the need to recognize changes in the
industry and embrace them, as the third-generation leader of
a company that grew from a single-truck service in 1933 to a
wholesaler that handled 3.7 billion gallons of fuel last
year.
“For the New England
Oilheat industry to flourish,” he said, “we must embrace
new products and technologies as a unified organization, and
do so proactively.” Slifka’s presentation provided
attendees his insights into the future petroleum and home
heating business, as well as a series of charts depicting
current trends in pricing for all petroleum products and how
they compete with each other. At several of the sessions,
Trunzo provided insights into his leadership of NEFI, as
well as the implementation of the Strategic Plan adopted by
the Board of Directors in the fall of 2010. The Strategic
Plan is a blueprint to better position NEFI to be a more
active and vocal advocate for the Oilheat industry
regionally and in D.C.
“I could not agree more
with the premise of the Strategic Plan which states, ‘If
Oilheat is to have much of a future it will require a
substantially different, more efficient, and more
effectively coordinated effort than it has today,” Trunzo
said. “Today, the Oilheat industry faces daunting
challenges: a continued product image problem, aggressive
conversions to natural gas and price volatility. With these
issues before us, there is no doubt the industry needs a
strong voice, and NEFI is up to that challenge”.
The North American Heating
and Energy Expo is hosted by the New England Fuel Institute
(NEFI) and is currently held every other year in Boston. For
more information, please contact NEFI at (627) 924-1000.
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