New and Improved: NEFI Member Benefits Deliver More Value

NEFI has a long history of providing industry-specific member benefits that reduce costs and paperwork, offer staff training, and more. Recent changes to these benefits have made the programs even more valuable than before.

Earlier this year, NEFI asked members to complete a “Pulse Survey.” Many of the new programs, especially the educational offerings, are a direct result of the feedback from members about programs they would like NEFI to offer.

Members today have access to exciting new education programs, with courses for service managers, customer service reps (CSRs), and drivers. A new weather service offers access to the same platform used by professional sports teams and Fortune 500 corporations. NEFI also retained the services of a trade attorney this year to provide guidance through the changing tariff landscape.

Other member benefits, such as the dental and disability insurance programs, employee assistance, drug and alcohol testing, driver qualification services, and retirement plans, are still offered, as well.

“A recent survey of NEFI members and prospective members showed that half of the respondents were unaware of all the benefits of NEFI membership. While we are well known for our legislative and regulatory efforts, many companies are surprised to hear about the broad array of programs that directly improve their bottom line, workforce, and operational efficiencies,” said Jim Collura, NEFI President & CEO.

BAM! Weather Provides Real-Time Clarity!

In September 2025, BAM Weather became the weather service for NEFI (along with program partners Propane Gas Association of New England and New York Propane Gas Association). Through the service, NEFI members will receive a “Week Ahead Outlook” every Sunday, as well as AM and PM Model Analysis emails.

Kirk Hinz, senior meteorologist and NEFI liaison, explained that the commodity energy updates included in the AM/PM analyses provide BAM’s forecasts for multiple weeks in advance of the HDD and CDD forecasts in relation to “normal” and how that might impact demand, operations, and supply for liquid fuel retailers.

BAM stands for the company’s founders, Bryan Kilgore, Amanda Kilgore, and Michael Clark. According to Hinz, who just celebrated his ninth anniversary with the company, BAM Weather now has a staff of more than 25 employees and over a dozen meteorologists. The company provides forecasts for Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and energy companies on the financial markets that need forecasts – “either months in advance or today. Any industry impacted by weather, we serve, through the various weather platforms that we’ve built in-house,” Hinz explains.

The latest platform, now available to NEFI members, is the Clarity platform. Clarity will provide members with real-time data as well as the ability to set up custom alerts. NEFI has set up ten “preset” regions – one click provides current temperature, relatively humidity, dew point, wind, pressure, visibility, past 24-hour rain and snow, and more. Users can also choose the “Location by Point” option, click anywhere on the map, and get the same results. The platform also offers radar, air temp, wind speed, visibility, and more map displays. Clarity’s data is updated every 15 minutes, so the information is as “real-time” as possible.

In addition to the weekly reports, BAM will be providing impactful storm alerts: winter storms, high wind events, hurricanes, and the like.

“What I want people to know about us is that we don’t regurgitate other weather providers. We are bold in our comments, and we are OK with making early, bold calls that are well supported,” Hinz added. “That’s the differentiator. We make more bold calls early. That’ll be a benefit to NEFI members, to see risk. Our industry is really conservative, but we’re the opposite of that.”

BAM Weather will be providing a Winter Weather Outlook webinar in November, and a Mid-Season Outlook in January, in addition to their “Winter Weather Outlook” in this issue on page 21.

NEFI members can access the weather platform through the Members Area on NEFI.com.

Education Programs Make Your Business Better

This year, NEFI offered two new education programs, and to say the response was “good” would be an understatement. Members had asked for additional training and support for their Service Managers and Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), and when that training was offered, they wasted no time registering their staff. Response was so enthusiastic that both programs were oversubscribed to the point that second sessions were added.

Both the Service Managers Peer Group Program and the CSR Educational program are offered through a partnership between the NEFI Education Foundation and Quality Service Contractors (QSC). QSC is an “enhanced service group” of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling-Contractors Association (PHCC) that was created to provide services and education programs needed for residential and commercial service contractors. QSC is made up of business coaches to support the educational needs of people in these companies.

The Service Managers Peer Group Program opened for registration in February, with an April 22, 2025 start date. It was scheduled as a monthly forum for service managers to exchange ideas, gain valuable business insights, drive sales, and create an environment of success. The program would consist of 11 live online monthly meetings and at least one in-person meeting, during which service managers could discuss industry trends and best practices, collaborate on problem-solving sessions, network, and find a supportive environment in which to share both challenges and successes.

As noted, the program was quickly oversubscribed, and the initial “waiting list” was turned into a second group. In July, the groups held their first in-person meeting. According to Beth Dobkin, program director at QSC, “the initial in-person meeting was a great success. Attendees were enthusiastic about the high-quality content and educational sessions, and the overall feedback was positive. Meeting face-to-face has fostered better cohesion within the groups, leading to increased participation and more sharing among members.”

Building upon the Service Managers program’s success, NEFI and QSC followed up with a CSR Training program that launched in September. This program was developed to provide customer service reps, office managers, and client representatives in the heating oil, propane, and HVAC industries gain ideas and valuable insights that will help them thrive. The sessions will focus on first point-of-contact customer service training, including: making genuine human connections, listening and communicating with empathy, discovering the real job to be done for customers, following up to learn how to improve and resolve concerns, and engaging and receiving feedback to drive success.

Once again, the course size was limited to provide attendees more opportunities to participate and interact. And once again, response was double the class size, and so a second group was added. The CSR program was scheduled with classes every other week for four or five weeks. One group now meets every other Thursday, the other on the alternate weeks on Wednesday. When Oil & Energy spoke with Dobkin, who leads the classes, the first session had just been held. “Everyone was on the meeting and everyone participated, listened, and shared their stories. It went well.”

Dobkin also noted that through the partnership and courses, “With QSC, NEFI members have direct access to business coaches who can help answer any questions you may have. Each of us leading the training sessions is a qualified business coach, ready to provide insights and support. If you’re interested in personal coaching for yourself or your employees, you can hire professionals you already know and trust. Additionally, if you’re looking for an educational program or another peer group, let’s work together with NEFI to explore how we can make that happen.”

At the moment there are no specific plans for the next program to be offered. Both Dobkin and NEFI representatives are looking to the members to provide feedback as to what would be most helpful. If you have any suggestions, contact NEFI at membercom@nefi.com.

CDL and HME Training Put More Drivers on the Road

NEFI members can now access new driver education programs at a discount, thanks to a new partnership between the NEFI Education Foundation and the National Propane Gas Association.

The new service program, provided by NPGA’s Administrative Compliance Experts (ACE), is designed to guide individuals through the Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for CDL A/B and HMEs.

ACE was created in response to the new ELDT Regulation and has serviced more than 5,000 enrollees since February 2022, across 42 states and 400 companies. NPGA, as a Registered Training Provider through FMCSA, provides the training and its “Deluxe Services” packages include NPGA handling all submissions’ reviews, recordkeeping, and potential audits.

The CDL and HAZMAT Endorsement courses include short online training modules and assessments. CDL classes include behind-the-wheel training and required forms and checklists.

Courses offered include CDL, CDL+HME, and HME-Only (for drivers with a CDL), with “Basic” or “Deluxe” options for each.

These discounted ACE programs can save NEFI members thousands of dollars and hours spent working through red tape.

Tariff and Compliance Guidance to Steer through Roiling Waters

Trade as we knew it was upended in March 2025, as President Trump announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico, imports of steel and aluminum, and global reciprocal tariffs. Those were followed with proposed tariffs on automobile imports, products from countries that import oil from Venezuela, and most recently, on heavy-duty trucks, pharmaceuticals, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and lumber.

These tariffs have been changed, postponed, and modified, with cut-outs and exemptions issued for countries and corporations whose leaders have worked with the president.

Many of these tariffs may affect, or have already affected, the operations of NEFI members. To provide clarity, NEFI retained the services of Micah Myers of Cozen O’Connor as trade counsel. Myers has a wealth of expertise in international trade matters and cross-border disputes, having worked with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and being involved in the U.S.-Mexican-Canadian Trade Agreement (USMCA).

NEFI members were provided with a webinar on “Navigating the Evolving Tariff Landscape” and a “Tariffs Fact Sheet” that answered the most pressing questions. Both the webinar and fact sheet are available to members in the NEFI Members Area. At the time of publication, NEFI and Myers were reviewing the recently-announced tariff on foreign-produced trucks to determine how it might affect U.S. based fuel retailers, wholesalers, and transporters.

For years, NEFI members have also had access to regulatory and compliance advice from Rick Schweitzer, NEFI’s regulatory counsel. Schweitzer provides weekly updates on regulatory matters in NEON, NEFI’s e-newsletter, but is also available to answer any member’s questions on these issues. He can be reached at rpschweitzer@rpslegal.com.

More for Members

In addition to these new programs, NEFI members also have access to a number of ongoing services, such as:

• Arcpoint Labs drug testing and DOT compliance services
• Cigna dental insurance
• Coastline EAP employee assistance programs
• Colonial Life disability, life, and accident insurance
• ProGuard tank insurance
• Retirement plans

NEFI continues to anticipate or respond to members’ needs by developing programs that provide a return on investment for their membership. For more information on any member benefits, or to become a member, visit NEFI.com or email membercom@nefi.com.

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