THE OIL-HEAT industry this summer will host two events that will focus on education. The National Oilheat Research Alliance is offering an Oilheat Management Workshop June 21-25 in Annapolis, Md. NORA is a co-sponsor of Oilheat Visions Conference 2004 Aug. 23-25 in Providence, R.I. Other Visions co-sponsors are New England Fuel Institute, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, Brookhaven National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The two events follow on the heels of the annual convention and trade show of the National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, which took place May 11-15 in Hartford, Conn. The attendance of 5,211 was up slightly from NAOHSM’s 50th anniversary meeting last year in Hershey, Pa. This year, 208 exhibitors occupied 23 outdoor spaces and 300 outdoor booths. Next year’s NAOHSM convention returns to Hershey, May 22-26.
The Oilheat Management Workshop in Annapolis is designed for anyone in a management position in an oil-heating company or anyone being groomed for a senior management position.
Featured presenters will include: Bob Hedden, president of Oilheat Associates, executive director for Oilheat Manufacturers Association and NORA senior project manager for research and education; John Levey, a consultant and educator; Kathy Boyle of The Boyle Co., a credit and collections consultant; Betsi Lueth Bixby, a cash-flow strategist; and Dave Fausak of Spartan Oil in Dover, N.J.
The centerpiece of the program will be a case study of an oil-heating company faced with operational and financial problems.
Topics for the program include: how to perform an in-depth financial analysis of your company; financial benchmarks you can use to evaluate your performance; how to make money in your service department; how to calculate true costs for service plans and oil delivery; how to increase delivery efficiency; and credit and collections.
Tuition for the Workshop is $160 per person, or $40 a day for people attending part of the workshop.
To register for the workshop, contact Phyllis Richardson at 703/519-4213, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Her mailing address is NORA, 211 North Union St., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Following two years after the inaugural conference, Visions 2004 in Providence is expected to surpass the 2002 event in both scope and attendance.
A focal point of this conference will be the movement toward low and perhaps eventually ultra low sulfur content heating oil, and the emergence of bio-fuel as a possible entrant to the distillate supply pool in the future.
Registration is $200 for an entire company before July 1. After that date, registration increases to $300 per company. You can register online at www.oilheatvisions.org.
Visions 2004 features two days of presentations conducted by industry speakers, energy specialists and business experts. All events will take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Keynote speaker for the conference is Thom Winninger, founder of the Winninger Institute for Market Strategy.
The business portion of the program includes three tracks of presentations, which run concurrently covering the topics marketing and profitability, best business practices and innovations in technology. Highlights include an interactive session with risk managers, a presentation on bio-heat, a discussion of best business practices, as well as a program on the best oil storage systems and developments in oil storage technology.
A fourth track will feature Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Technology Symposium. Visions 2004 will have product and service exhibits.
Tom Kloza, editor of Oil Price Information Service, will discuss industry trends that may affect next season’s business plans, while other presentations will deal with finding, hiring and training technicians; profiting from service calls; and keeping customers.
For more information, contact Tracy Goodwin of NEFI at 617/924-1000 or by e-mail at [email protected].