MSSA Services Yes

Volume 33 Issue 6 June 2018

Monthly Publication of the Minnesota Service Station and Convenience Store Association

B20 Mandate Temporary Suspension ends on June 30, 2018

The original suspension period was from  MN Lottery May 21, 2018 thru June 30, 2018. Effective July 1, 2018, all diesel fuel sold or offered for  Minnesota Election Update sale in Minnesota for use in internal combus- June 2018 tion engines must contain at least then percent (10%) biodiesel fuel oil by volume.  U.S. States Pressure Automak- ers on EVs As a retailer, can I wait until July 1, 2018 to start taking deliveries of B20 again?  Enbridge “Our Commitment to

Minnesota” No. By July 1, 2018 all diesel fuel sold or offered for sale in Minnesota for use in internal combustion engines must again con-  New Members tain twenty percent (20%) biodiesel fuel oil by volume. The temporary suspension was timed to allow stations approximately two  WEX Evolves Fuel Payments weeks to turn their storage tanks over after biodiesel supply is ex- from Plastic to Phone pected to return to normal production levels.

•Stations should start taking deliveries of B20 before June 30, so  Counteracting Declining that the diesel fuel dispensed at their pumps contains twenty percent  Customer Acquisition Rates in (20%) biodiesel by volume on July 1. Auto Repair •Any fuel delivered to fleets, farms, and other end users after June,  MSSA Annual Golf Outing 30th, must contain twenty percent (20%) by volume.

 Reminder Will the Weights & Measures Division continue to enforce the biodiesel mandate during the B20 temporary suspension?

MSSA Services Yes. Weights & measures inspectors will continue to take fuel samples and audit delivery records to ensure that until June 30, 2018, all diesel fuel sold or offered for sale in Minnesota for use in • Department of Labor Information internal combustion engines contains at least ten percent (10%) bio- • Legislative and Lobbying diesel fuel oil by volume. • Legal Support Questions? • Drive off Support 14305 Southcross Drive, Suite 150 Greg VanderPlaats • Industry Information Burnsville, MN 55306 Weights & Measures Division 651-539-1559 • Support with Below Cost Minnesota Department of Com- [email protected] merce

Executive Director Letter MSSA Board Members Ron Feist, President Happy Summer! 763-544-5512 ‘16-’19 Chan Smith, Vice President 651-450-9729 ‘17-’20 Hope all of you are enjoying the summer! Whether you have children par- Andrea Drake, Secretary/Treasurer 651-426-9996 ’18-‘21 ticipating in local events or just laying around enjoying a few refreshments. Mark Olson Did you know “Summer” came from the Old English name for the season 612-869-1244 ‘16-‘19 “sumor”, which in turn came from the Proto-Germanic *sumur-, which it- Steven Anderson self came from the Proto-Indo-European root *sam-, meaning summer? 651-644-3436 ’18- ‘21 Wait, my son’s name is Sam. Didn’t know his name came from the mean- Joel Hennen ing of summer? The things you learn in a daily basis. 952-445-2478 ‘16-‘19 Jeff Bagniewski 507-285-0014 ’17-‘20 Speaking of learning. City councils need to learn how important our retail Jeff Peterson members are to their communities. Last week, the city of Roseville passed 507-452-3559 ’18–‘21 an age 21 tobacco ordinance. Later in that week, myself, Mark Ogren Jerry Charmoli (Croix Oil), Steve Rush (Holiday), Bruce Nustad (MNRA) Deb McMillan 763-757-6789 ‘17-’20 (TwinWest) and Meghan Shea (NATO) met with council members from Minnetonka. Yep, you guessed it, Minnetonka, now is looking at age 21. MSSA Staff City of Lakeville, and Eden Prairie have also expressed interest. Lance Klatt (651) 487-1983 Cell (612) 916- 9917 We need to continue sharing our stories with City Council members. We Nikki Wakefield (651) 487-1983 are not the problem as small community retailers, the problem is “social sources”! Have had some victories in Brooklyn Park and Mankato-but need more. Need our message to be heard. We will lose some battles, but Insurance Representatives McNamara Company in time, I am confident to say we will win the war. Need to keep working Patrick McNamara (651) 426-0607 harder. Aleisha McNamara (651) 426-0607 Mitchell McNamara (651) 426-0607 This summer I have been plagued with political campaign emails and mail. It’s going to be a wild summer/ fall. Elections have consequences, espe- Haas Managed Benefits cially in our industry. Please be ready as a time may come as we need to Bill Haas (763) 421-6153 lean our members for support! Could be labor preemption, tobacco preemption or preemption in general as all repair, C-store and towing busi- ASMI Board nesses will be affected by their city councils one way or another. Kurt Bohnen, President 612-723-8855 Ted Brausen, Vice President As we enjoy the summer, always remember the dark and gloomy winter 651-635-9577 will be here soon, just as in the number of City Council votes. Bryan Boesen, Secretary/Treasurer 763-315-2886 Ron Velander Enjoy the summer! 952-457-7153 Mark Olson 612-869-1244 Lance

General Counsel Randy Thompson (952) 405-7171 Nolan, Thompson & Leighton

Government Affairs Todd Hill – Lobbyist Hill Capitol Strategies, Inc.

MSSA Newsline - June 2018 2

David C. Johnson Pat & Karen Shearen Patrick Nelson Herb’s Servicenter, Inc. Southside Fuel Plus Brown’s Ice Cream Member since 1978 Member since 2005 Member since 2010

Dean Showalter Jon Stelley Mike Shofner Winnetka Shell Arctic Glacier Ice Fridley Minnoco Member since 1980 Member since 2005 Member since 2012

Jim Klassen William Kanuit Steve Williams Spring Hill Garage Lakehead Oil Company Steve Anderson Member since 1988 Member since 2005 Bobby & Steve’s - Minneapolis Bobby & Steve’s - Bloomington Daniel Boardman Lonnie McQuirter, Jr. Bobby & Steve’s - Columbia Heights Mahtomedi Automotive 36 Lyn Refuel Station Bobby & Steve’s - West Bloomington Service Member since 2005 Bobby & Steve’s - South Mpls Member since 1990 Bobby & Steve’s - West Mpls Colleen Mercil Member since 2012 Brady Olson Lakeside Oil Company Brady’s Service Center Member since 2006 Corey Goodwin Member since 1996 Rose City Canopy Jeff Herman Member since 2014 Andrea Drake Chase Paymentech North Oaks Holiday Member since 2006 Tom Vogt WBT Holiday Gas N Go Member since 1995 Scott Trebelhorn Member since 2014 United Farmers Co-Op Member since 2006 Bill Owen Rick Pribyl Wenzel’s Farm LLC Clear Lake Amoco Pat Weiden Member since 2015 Member since 2004 Community Oil Inc. Member since 2007 Courtney Bode Paychex, Inc Dan Reed Matt Murphy New Brighton BP Member since 2018 B-Dale Shell Member since 2005 Member since 2008 Dhimant Patel Slayton BP Scott Donly Reed Clemmer Deli Express Member since 2018 Fish Rock, Inc. Member since 2005 Member since 2008 Brent Harms Tecmark LLC Member since 2018

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Minnesota Election Update June 2018

At this point, it appears no special session will be called to try and redo any of the legislative work from 2018. The state’s biennial budget was set by the 2017 Legislature and the vetoed bills are not necessary for the state to continue their normal operations. The Governor and Senate Majority Leader did leave open the opportunity for a special session after the November election. The session would likely be limited to passing a bill providing for federal tax conformity and simplifying the process for filing tax returns in the spring of 2019. Much of the attention now turns to the November election. Minnesota continues to maintain a purple hue. Current- ly it seems the state will be ground zero in one of our two U.S. Senate elections, four of our eight congressional rac- es, the open Attorney General and Governor’s offices and a battle to switch to DFL control both the Minnesota House and Senate. Currently, it’s impossible to predict the outcome of the fall elections.

• Constitutional Offices Two-term DFL Governor, Mark Dayton is retiring this November. The open seat has drawn substantial attention. Up until the DFL Conventions, the leading candidates appeared to be DFL Congressman Tim Walz and former GOP Governor and Presidential Candidate, Tim Pawlenty. Walz was reportedly leading in the race for the DFL endorsement, while Pawlenty a late entrant in the race headed straight to the GOP Primary in August. Pawlenty, who announced his run in late March, raised over $1 million in campaign cash in just over three weeks following his announcement. With the former Governor in the race, the Republican Governor’s Asso- ciation made a substantial commitment towards the November General Election.

However, the DFL Convention appears to have turned the Governor’s race on its head and a great deal of un- certainty remains as we head into the August 14th Primary. In the Attorney General race the DFL failed to endorse on the first ballot current DFL Attorney General, Lori Swanson. She withdrew her name from consideration and exited the convention. The DFL than after 6 ballots endorsed former House Majority Leader and current State Representative Erin Murphy. Her endorsement came after a last gasp attempt to block any endorsement by Congressman Walz, his running mate State Rep. Peggy Flannagan and the other Gubernatorial candidate, State Auditor Rebecca Otto. The effort to stop any endorsement backfired and resulted in a free fall for the Walz/Flannagan ticket and guaranteed the endorsement for Murphy.

Murphy selected State Rep. Erin Maye-Quade as her running mate. Murphy reportedly delayed announcing her pick to first try and build a unified ticket. The number two spot was reportedly first offered to Walz running mate Rep. Flannagan, who decided to remain on the primary ballot with Walz. The Murphy selection of Maye-Quade certainly flies in the face of traditional regional, gender or political balance. The Murphy/Maye- Quade all metro-ticket represents the more progressive wing of the DFL Party and now puts in play a swing suburban legislative seat in which Maye-Quade was viewed as a favorite. The snubbing of Attorney General Swanson and the Murphy/Maye-Quade ticket has now led to the expansion of the DFL Primary field for Gov- ernor and Attorney General.

In one of the more intriguing political developments this year, Attorney General Lori Swanson withdrew her name from the race for Attorney General and announced she will be running in the DFL Primary along with retiring 8th District Congressman Rick Nolan. While the Walz/Flannagan ticket appeared better suited to win the August Pri- mary, the multiple candidate DFL Primary in the 8th Congressional District and the proven electability of AG Swan- son really creates a great deal of uncertainly for the DFL.

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The GOP has endorsed Jeff Johnson, their 2014 candidate for Governor, setting up an expensive and likely conten- tious August Primary for the GOP. Last week, Tim Pawlenty announced his selection of former Senate President and current Lt. Governor Michelle Fischbach as his running mate. Since Governor Mark Dayton appointed his Lt. Governor Tina Smith to the open U.S. Senate seat of Al Franken, Fischbach had been fighting the constitutional re- quirement to become the Lt. Governor. Immediately after the completion of the 2018 Legislative Session, Fisch- bach relented, accepted the new role and then shortly after joined Team Pawlenty.

The decision of current Attorney General Lori Swanson to enter the DFL Primary for Governor has now put in play an office the DFL has controlled for decades. The DFL endorsed candidate, Matt Pelikan faces a crowded DFL Pri- mary with Congressman Keith Ellison, former Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman, State Representative Deb Hilstrom and former Ramsey County Attorney Tom Foley all entering the race. Former Attorney General and Swanson confidant Mike Hatch immediately filed for the office but withdrew his name after Rep. Hilstrom entered the race.

On the GOP side, former State Rep. Doug Wardlow is the endorsed GOP candidate. He will face perennial candidate Sharon Anderson who knocked off the endorsed candidate for Attorney General in a previous primary. Former DFL and Independent State Senator Bob Lessard will also be competing in the GOP Primary.

• The House (and now the Senate) In 2018, the entire Minnesota House of Representatives will appear on the ballot. Currently, the GOP maintain a 75-56 seat advantage over the DFL. There are currently two open seats in the Minnesota House. One seat was held by former DFL Speaker of the House, Paul Thissen who resigned after accepting a position on the MN State Supreme Court. The GOP vacancy is the result of House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin’s decision to accept a position with the Minnesota Rural Electric Association. Control of the MN House will likely be determined by the GOP’s ability to maintain seats in suburban districts. The House GOP currently holds a substantial fundraising advantage over the House DFL. The following is the most up-to-date list of the 23 members who will not be returning to the House in 2018.

Seeking another office (8)

Peggy Flanagan (D) – Lt. Governor candidate running with Congressman Tim Walz Deb Hilstrom (D) – running for Attorney General Jeff Howe (R) – Special Election for open State Senate Seat, District 13 Erin Maye-Quade (D) – endorsed DFL candidate for Lt. Governor, running with Rep. Erin Murphy Jason Metsa (D) – Congress in open 8th Congressional District Erin Murphy (D) - endorsed DFL candidate for Governor Jim Newberger (R) – endorsed GOP candidate against U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Ilhan Omar (D) – Congress in open 5th Congressional District

Retiring from public service (13)

Susan Allen (D) Jon Applebaum(D) David Bly (D) Karen Clark (D) Matt Dean (R) Joe Hoppe (R) Clark Johnson (D) Sheldon Johnson (D) Paul Rosenthal (D) Linda Slocum (D) Mark Uglem (R) Joann Ward (D) Abigail Whelan (R)

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Retired before term is completed (3) Former Speaker, Rep. Paul Thissen (D) - appointed to MN Supreme Court, effective April 2018 House Majority Leader, Rep. Joyce Peppin (R) – retiring effective July 2018, accepted position as Director of Gov- ernment Affairs, General Counsel with the Minnesota Rural Electric Association. Senate President, Senator Michelle Fischbach (R) – ascended to Lt. Governor position per the Minnesota Constitu- tion. Running as Lt. Governor with former Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Senators seeking another office – not risking their current position (4) Senator Bobby Jo Champion (D) – Congress in open 5th Congressional District Senator Karin Housley (R) – endorsed GOP candidate, Special Election to complete U.S. Senator Al Franken’s term Senator Torrey Ray (D) – Congress in open 5th Congressional District Senator Carla Nelson (R) – Congress in open 1st Congressional District

While the Senate is not on the ballot this year, balance of the Minnesota Senate will also be determined in the fall after Sen. Michelle Fischbach, Republican, President of the Senate announced her decision to accept the Constitu- tional reality she must serve as Lt. Governor. Her ascension to Lt. Governor was the result of DFL Governor Day- ton appointing former Lt. Governor Tina Smith to the open U.S. Senate seat. It was also announced in addition to serving as the LT. Governor in the Dayton Administration, she will also be running as Lt. Governor on the Pawlenty ticket. State Representative Jeff Howe will be running against Joe Perske in the open Senate Seat.

• Federal Elections – DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar should cruise to an easy re-election this fall. She continues to be ranked as the most popular elected official in the State of Minnesota. In addition to Klobuchar, the resignation of DFL Sen- ator Al Franken puts his former seat on the ballot in 2018. Former Lt. Governor Tina Smith was appointed to the seat until the November election. Smith lacks name recognition outside of the Twin Cities but is racing to build the resources necessary to defend her appointed seat. Her opponent, GOP State Senator Karin Housley, has strong name recognition and support in northern Minnesota where President Trump did exceedingly well in 2016. Given the timing of the election, most consider this an open seat in 2018.

GOP Congressmen Erik Paulsen (3rd Congressional District) and Jason Lewis (2nd Congressional District) are in seats heavily targeted by the DCCC. The Second District race will be a re-match of 2016. In the Third District, Rep. Paulsen faces a candidate with the ability to self-finance and a well-known family name. Dean Phillips his opponent is the former CEO of the family business, Phillips Distilling Company. It would not be surprising to see one or both seats flip in 2018.

In Minnesota’s First District, Congressman Tim Walz is running for Governor. Walz just narrowly defeated his opponent in 2016. This is a seat which continues to trend towards the GOP and is certainly a potential pick-up opportunity in 2018. In the Eighth District, Congressman Rick Nolan is retiring. This traditional DFL stronghold has continued to trend towards the GOP in recent years. A growing internal DFL rift between environmentalists and labor could deliver this seat to the GOP in November. With a crowded field on the DFL side, the DFL candidate won’t be named until the primary in mid-August while the GOP has recruited a strong candidate in Pete Stauber.

With Congressman Keith Ellison’s decision to run for Attorney General, the reliably safe DFL 5th Congressional race will also be fun to watch. The late decision of the Congressman led 6 prominent members of the DFL to file for the open seat. The winner of the August Primary is guaranteed a congressional seat they should be able to maintain for a lifetime.

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The DFL Party has announced an endorsing convention for June 17th, at this time it appears highly unlikely the party will be able to endorse any of the strong candidates. The following are the DFL candidates who have filed in the Fifth Congressional District:  Jamal Abdi Abdulahi

 Former State Representative and DFL Speaker of the House, Margaret Anderson Keliher

 State Senator Bobby Joe Champion

 State Representative Ilhan Omar

 State Senator Patricia Torres Ray

 Frank Nelson Drake

We will continue to provide updates throughout the summer and as we head into the fall elections and prepare for the 2019 Legislative Session. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Minnesota By Numbers Minnesota House

• 75 GOP - 56 DFL (3 Open Seats - 1 DFL/1 GOP) • All 134 Seats are up for re-election • 23 Open Seats – (7 R, 16 DFL) • Likely 15 Swing Districts

Minnesota Senate • 33 GOP – 33 DFL (1 open seat leans GOP) • Senate not on the ballot in 2018. However, Special Senate Election in November to fill vacant GOP seat of former Senate President and now Lt. Governor Fischbach. Control of the Senate will be determined by the November Special Election.

Governor (Open Seat) (Likely Toss-up)

 Republicans • Former Governor and Presidential Candidate Tim Pawlenty – did not seek the party endorsement, running in GOP Primary • GOP endorsed candidate, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson (GOP Candidate for Governor 2014) • Primary August 14th will determine the GOP candidate

 Democrats • Congressman Tim Walz and State Rep. Peggy Flanagan • DFL endorsed candidate, State Rep. Erin Murphy and State Rep. Erin May Quade • Attorney General Lori Swanson and retiring 8th District Congressman Rick Nolan • August 14th Primary will determine candidate

Attorney General (Open Seat)

 Republicans • GOP endorsed candidate – former State Representative Doug Wardlow • Perennial Candidate – Sharon Anderson • Former DFL and Independent State Senator Bob Lessard  Democrats • DFL Endorsed Progressive Activist, Matt Pelikan Phone: (763) 447-3880 • DFL Congressman, Keith Ellison Email: [email protected] • Former Ramsey County Attorney, Tom Foley • State Representative, Deb Hilstrom TODD A. HILL – Founder & President • Former Commerce Commissioner, Mike Rothman

MSSA Newsline - June 2018 9

MSSA Newsline - May 2018 10

U.S. States Pressure Automakers on EVs California and eight other states unveil an ambitious plan to boost sales of electric cars.

June 25, 2018

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California and eight states have outlined an 80-step plan to increase the number of zero -emissions vehicles on the roads, The Wall Street Journal reports. The plan addresses ways that government offi- cials, utilities, dealers, automobile makers and charging/fueling companies can accelerate adoption of electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly cars.

The plan includes more advertisements to promote these vehicles, ride-and-drive events and putting together a network of charging stations throughout the United States. The recommendations also seek to push hydrogen fuel cell cars.

The recommendations come as the Trump administration takes steps to loosen federal rules related to tailpipe emissions. Currently, car makers must sell vehicles that slash emissions enough to average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025, according to U.S. regulations.

While electric vehicles make up about 1% of auto sales, the coalition’s plan would translate into about 12 million zero-emissions vehicles by 2030 in those nine states—a 26-fold jump. The coalition of states includes California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

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In response to this announcement, NACS, along with other industry stakeholders, sent a letter to the governors of these coalition states outlining concerns about governments’ preference for electric vehicles over other clean and efficient fuels. Specifically, the letter outlines the concerns about governments’ selection of specific transportation technologies without consideration for consumer preferences and demand. Rather than choosing one fuel technology over another, the letter says, state and federal governments should encourage all clean fuels—whether they be electric or liquid motor fuels. NACS is working with all stakeholders to ensure that the fuel retailing industry is part of these discussions and can compete on the same level as any other industry on the future of transportation technologies.

If you want to have a role in the future of fueling, join the The Fuels Institute (a public policy think tank founded by NACS) at an upcoming event. The Institute is hosting a series of collaborative, single-day stakeholder meetings to review current research on the role of octane and other fuel properties related to producing fuels that could enable the design of more efficient spark ignition, internal combustion engines. Each session presents the latest research on fuels and engine options that might enhance vehicle efficiency and reduce emissions, as well as the opportunities and challenges with delivering those products to market.

Source: NACSONLINE

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For over 65 years, Enbridge has been part of the Minnesota community, Our employees and their families live and work in this great state. We understand what it means to be Minnesotan, and we have always operated our business with firm commitments to our neighbors - to protect communities and the environment, and to bring opportunities and lasting economic benefits to the region. CEO AI Monaco made three strong commitments to Minnesota.

Our Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project is about keeping those commitments.

• $100 million in economic opportunities for Tribes

• Enbridge will work with individual landowners to determine what the right course of action on their land is. Enbridge will remove old Line 3 from private landowner’s land on re- Pennington County Commissioner Neil quest. Peterson and Aitkin County Commissioner Anne Marcotte heard CEO • Enbridge has publicly committed to working with counties to reduce the Al Monaco voice Enbridge’s commitments financial harm. to Minnesota.

From the beginning, we have remained true to our values and worked hard to honor our commitments to the people of Minnesota. Like any successful relationship its about listening, its about responding to concerns, and ultimately its about earning trust. We believe we’ve done that, and we’ll continue to work to earn and maintain that trust.

We look forward to getting work on Line 3, and safely delivering the energy we all need, every day.

Enbridge | [email protected] | minnesotaprojects.enbridge.com | 855-788-7805

**New Members** Congratulations to

MSSA Member Paychex Inc. Faisal Farah Courtney Bode 319-430-3418

Slayton BP Dhimant Patel 507-836-8976

Tecmark LLC Brent Harms 612-746-5095

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WEX Evolves Fuel Payments from Plastic to Phone

Payments Pioneer Launches DriverDash, the Mobile Payment Solution for Fleet

June 18, 2018

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WEX Inc., a leading provider of innovative corporate payment solutions, today announced the launch of DriverDash, a simple, easy-to-use alternative to plastic for added security. WEX, a leading provider of innovative corporate payment solutions, today announced the launch of DriverDash, a simple, easy-to-use alternative to plastic for added security.

DriverDash lets fleet drivers authorize a fuel transaction from inside their vehicles to create a seamless and secure transaction via mobile device.

WEX Vice President of Product, Peggy Watson said, “DriverDash is the next evolution in fuel cards: powerful, fast, simple and convenient. We’re thrilled to continue to use our innovative technology to provide customers with modern, safe, seamless ways to pay for their fuel and capture their data.”

DriverDash borrows heavily from the long WEX tradition of using proprietary technology in close consultation with customers to develop products that make the daily operations of their job easier.

“Drivers will get a faster, easier, intuitive payment experience,” she said. “Businesses will see less downtime for fueling and enhanced transaction security. DriverDash uses thumbprint or facial recognition to authorize and document the transaction and drivers can only utilize the app upon receiving an invite from the fleet manager.”

The DriverDash program is currently available at more than 11,000 Exxon and Mobil-branded service stations across the continental U.S. and WEX is actively expanding the network among its accepting merchants.

“We are excited to partner with WEX in accepting the DriverDash mobile payment app, for use with our proprietary Exx- onMobil fleet cards,” said Miguel Castillo, Americas Payments Marketing Manager, ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants. “This is a great addition to our fleet card benefits, and we look forward to continuously innovating with WEX to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

“We live in a mobile age in which we use our phones for just about everything,” Watson said. “So as we continue to look at ways to better serve our customers, it only made sense to bring our traditional payments platform to mobile devices.”

About WEX Inc. WEX Inc. (NYSE: WEX) is a leading provider of corporate payment solutions. From its roots in fleet card payments beginning in 1983, WEX has expanded into a multi-channel provider of corporate payment solutions representing 11 million vehicles and offering exceptional security and control across a wide spectrum of business sectors. WEX serves a global set of customers and partners with offices in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Norway and Singapore. WEX and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,000 associates. The company has been publicly traded since 2005, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “WEX.” For more information, visit www.wexinc.com and follow WEX on Twitter at @WEXIncNews.

About ExxonMobil ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, and is one of the world’s largest integrated refiners, marketers of petroleum products and chemical manufacturers. For more information about Exx- on and Mobil brands, visit www.exxon.com/about-us.

WEX, Inc, Robert Gould, 207-523-7429 [email protected]

MSSA Newsline - June 2018 14

Counteracting Declining Customer Acquisition Rates in Auto Repair For an automotive repair shop the customer acquisition rate refers to the percentage of increase in the customer base with- in a given time period. For example: if a shop starts the year with 100 active customers and 20 new customers are added during the year the acquisition rate would be 20 percent. Another way to look at customer acquisition is to look at the number of customers added in a year and compare it to the previous year to see if the numbers are trending up or down. There are some key areas that impact a shop’s ability to attract new business and if these are managed the shop will see success in customer acquisition. Areas to manage are:

• Website Search Engine Rankings – Whether or not potential customers find an automotive repair shop when searching on the Internet can be the most significant factor in attracting new business. To perform a quick test on website search engine rankings open an Internet search engine screen and search for ‘most used automotive repair search keywords’. You’ll find the top used words people use when searching for an auto repair shop. Then take those keywords and search on them. If your shop doesn’t show up on the first or second page then you probably could benefit from some search engine optimization (SEO). There are many factors that go into search engine rankings and they keep changing. So the best thing to do if affordable is to engage the services of a company with SEO expertise. Statistical analyses show that more than 80 percent of consumers shop for goods and services on line so investing marketing resources in being found should be part of any marketing strategy.

• Online Reviews – Once an auto repair shop is found on the Internet more often than not the customer will check online reviews to see what other people say about the business. More than eight out of ten prospective buyers trust online reviews when making a buying decision. So it’s important to have as many positive online reviews as possible. Many shops offer incentives fpr customers to post reviews. In addition to encouraging customers to post positive reviews – it’s also important to monitor reviews and handle any negative postings if necessary. Positive reviews can have a huge impact on attracting business and negative reviews can be just as powerful. (continued on page 17)

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• Outbound Marketing – With the advent of inbound marketing (below) traditional advertising was rebranded ‘Outbound Marketing’. The distinction refers to the act of sending messages outward promoting services and spe- cials, etc. Sometimes advertising strategies will work for a time and then become less effective or even ineffective. There are various reasons for this but the one constant that must be recognized is that change is inevitable. So advertising methods and venues must not become stagnant or their effectiveness will.

• Inbound Marketing – The Internet and social media have given rise to new avenues for attracting business thus the method known as Inbound Marketing was born. Inbound marketing involves providing value and building relationships and trust over time. This is mostly done through blogging and social media posting. For an automotive repair business value would be information that would be useful to vehicle owners such as reducing cost of vehicle ownership or improving safety. Sharing in this manner helps to build trust and form relationships before actual business transactions occur.

Source: Automotive Management

Tom & Deb Ham Automotive Management Network

www.AutomotiveManagementNetwork.com 5355 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525 616-340-2380

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MSSA Newsline - June 2018 17

ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIRECTORY

Accountants Eby-Brown Co. LLC Fuel Testing LMV Corporation Jesse Rundquist 320-249-4534 MEG Corp Ron Velander 952-457-7153 Farner-Bocken Company Hoon Ge 612-810-5160 Advertising/ Bruce Milbrandt 800-555-1088 x444 App Design/Media Henry’s Foods Health Insurance Dale Erickson 800-726-5299 Allover Media Inc. Haas Managed Benefits Lynco Distribution, Inc Ben Enger 763-762-2013 Bill Haas 763-421-6153 Zac McCall 612-865-0275

Appraisers/Commercial Ice Vendors Car Wash Brokers Arctic Glacier Ice Blendco Systems Petroleum Marketers Svc, Inc. Jon Stelley 651-455-0410 Brent Anderson 763-567-3324 Mark Montag 952-435-9822 Professional Carwash Systems, Inc. Information Services Bob Englund 763-550-1001 Auto Parts Supplier Automotive Management Network Reliable Plus Car Wash Tom Ham 612-299-9298 NAPA Auto Parts Cary Fritsvold 952-888-8023 Mike Tigges 952-924-1213 Insurance Factory Motor Parts Credit Card Processing Clay Johnson 651-405-7645 McNamara Company Chase Paymentech Patrick McNamara 651-426-0607 ATM Machines/Novelty Jeff Herman 763-219-8646 Aleisha McNamara 651-426-0607

Games Credit Card Processing Mitchell McNamara 651-426-0607

Universal Money Centers Transport Jerry Spain 913-831-0248 EchoSat Communications Group, Inc. Investments/ Financial Danielle Skinner 913-244-3249 Waddell & Reed, Inc. Mark Carl 859-389-8700 x106 Matt Anderson 952-884-1503 Attorneys Dairy/Ice Cream Libby Law Office Brown’s Ice Cream Lenders/Financial Kirsten Libby 651-487-1208 Patrick Nelson 612-378-1075 Ascentium Capital LLC Merrigan, Brandt, Ostenso & Cambre, P.A. Polka Dot Dairy, Inc. Len Baccaro 281-902-1931 Gary E. Persian 952-933-2390 Pat Pettit 651-438-2793 Tony Zieglar 281-883-5005 Ned E. Ostenso 952-933-2390 Nolan, Thompson & Leighton Electrical– Lighting LIGHTING Randy Thompson 952-405-7171 Norske Electric, Inc Apadana Lighting

Brevik Tharaldson 952-443-4113 Ehssan Taghizadeh 612-385-7684 Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.

Tami Diehm 612-604-6658 Environmental Lottery Jim Kierking 612-604-6651 MN State Lottery Bay West LLC Batteries Donovan Hannu 651-291-3424 Steve Addabbo 651-635-8233 Tanknology Interstate Batteries Loyalty/apps/rewards Dan Hartel 952-345-1190 Robert Cox 800-666-5301 Tecmark Factory Motor Parts Ethanol Brent Harms 612-418-7032 Clay Johnson 651-405-7645

Growth Energy Mike O’Brien 952-212-3380 Member Services/

Associations Beverages/COFFEE Food Services American Lung Association American Bottling Company 7th Avenue Pizza Jon Hunter 651-268-7601 Mark Mathewson 651-552-3582 Patrick Nelson 612-378-1075 Patron Points M&S Distributing Chanticlear Frozen Pizza Erik Ogren 651-714-0113 Shawn Burkel 218-242-0604 Ryan Elsner 612-619-8064 Pepsi Bottling Group Deli Express Julia Yngsdal 612-282-1079 Scott Donley 952-294-2145 Newspaper

Hunts Brothers Pizza C-Store Supplier Star Tribune Aaron Hobbs 1-816-210-6143 Jim Piga 612-673-4833 Chambers & Owen Wenzel’s Farm LLC Gary Christensen 651-308-2638 Bill Owen 800-336-6328 Office Supplies Core-Mark International Christina Larson 763-545-3700 Network Business Supplies Inc. Brett Cohn 651-207-1077

MSSA Newsline - June 2018 18

ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIRECTORY Payroll Hartland Fuel Products LLC Uniforms Paychex LLC. Ray Colbert 608-779-6526 Cintas Corporation

Courtney Bode 319-430-3418 Premier Propane Daniel Chanski 763-391-5684 Jason Scribner 612-839-1569 Rahn’s Oil & Propane Petroleum Equipment/ Used Oil Services Dave Rahn 320-256-3680 Loe’s Oil CSC Service Works Refrigeration Brian Loe 507-625-5278 Doug Wagner 800-247-8363 MN Petroleum Service, Inc. Maintenance Gerald Swan 763-780-5191 Quality Refrigeration O’Day Equipment LLC Bob Forder 612-861-7350 Dan O’Day 763-230-7630 Market Mechanical Pump & Meter Service, Inc. Mark & Robin Duffney 763-315-4000 MSSA Business Mike Eicher 952-933-4800 Zahl - Petroleum Maintenance Brian Larson 612-331-8550 Retail cleaning Hours: Enviro-Master of Minneapolis Petroleum/Lubricants Chris Marrs 952-392-9736 Ext. 1 Adium Oil Co. Dean Mielke 320-356-7350 Monday - Friday Croix Oil Retail Signage Mark Ogren 651-439-5755 Digital Art Services Dehn Oil Katherine Rugg 651-354-3564 Ron Dehn 763-421-5571 Rose City Canopy Dooley’s Petroleum Corey Goodwin 218-738-3188 8:30am-4:30pm Randy Dooley 320-875-2641 Fuel Service DJ’s Mart LLC John Salden 715-723-1701 Security System, Hartland Fuel Products LLC Monitoring & Ray Colbert 608-797-3930 Lakeside Oil Surveillance Brad Schneider 320-360-9988 Digital Surveillance Concepts LLC Colleen Mercil 612-501-5117 Dan Nordsletten 701-261-2488 Mielke Oil Co., Inc. Electro Watchman Inc. Douglas Mielke 320-632-4085 Security Systems Molo Oil Co., Inc. Chris Simpson 651-262-6337 Mark Molo 563-557-7540 Rahn’s Oil & Propane Softener Salt and Dave Rahn 320-256-3680 Washer Fluid Severson Oil Paramount Marketing/ SunSoft Salt Josh Severson 507-452-4743 Brooke Taney 612-866-1980 United Farmers Coop Splash Scott Trebelhorn 507-647-6620 Manny Flores 763-472-0262 Waterford Oil Factory Motor Parts Gary Lynch 507-645-5659 Clay Johnson 651-405-7645

Petroleum Reporting Tobacco OPIS/AXXIS Petroleum Altria/Phillip Morris USA Donna Harris 888-301-2645 Garth Alston 608-251-0195 RAI Trade Marketing Services Petroleum Transport Michael Brown

D&J Transport Inc. Josh Selbrade 507-413-0384

Danco LTD Dan & Jodi Gerdas 320-743-2006 Trucking Services/ * All advertisers and Associated Members listed in the Newsline should be judged on an individual Wrecker basis. When you are looking for a specific product Propane Twin Cities Wrecker Sales or service, please use your best business judgment. Dooley’s Petroleum Rod Pellow 651-488-4210 The Association cannot endorse or guarantee Randy Dooley 320-875-2641 suppliers’ products or services.

MSSA Newsline - June 2018 19

2018 MSSA Annual Golf Outing

July 12, 2018

9:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Registration

9:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Breakfast

11:00 a.m. Shot Gun Start

The Wilds Golf Club

September MSSA Board Meeting

September 20, 2018

10:00 am Meeting

11:30 pm Lunch

MSSA Office 2886 Middle Street Little Canada