Guest Commentary
Leveraging Passion
to Drive Motivation…
As entrepreneurs, we have a lot
Advanced Fuel Solutions, Inc. The new norm
on our plates at any given time.
Staying focused can be tough
with a constant stream of employees,
clients, emails and phone calls demanding
our attention, not to mention
the impact COVID-19 has had on us
and what its continued effect moving
forward might be. To say the least,
times have certainly changed for us all.
Net
Zero by
2050
Teamwork in the industry and sharing your vision with your employees and customers is of paramount
importance as our industry continues its transition from fossil fuel to low carbon liquid fuels.
Amid the noise and crisis management,
understanding our limitations
and working around them can
improve our focus and increase our
productivity. Our brains are finely
attuned to distraction, so today’s
digital environment, which brings
all the noise into our homes and
businesses every day, will likely not
abate. Our ability to remain focused
will be challenged from this day
forward.
When markets closed on April 20
of this year, crude oil on the futures
market sold for $37.63 per barrel.
Sellers were literally paying buyers
to take their oil. This chaos in the
oil market was largely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, which has
caused plummeting oil demand.
This pandemic takes no prisoners;
it has driven a stake in the ground
and has dictated we adjust far and
wide in our personal and business
lives. While all this continues to unfold,
our industry continues to leanin
on realizing its goal to attain Net
Zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
by 2050. This goal was set at the
Northeast Industry Summit held
during the September 2019 Heating
& Energizing America Trade
Show at the Rhode Island Convention
Center, organized by the New
England Fuel Institute (NEFI) and
association partners.
You cannot say life is normal; it
is not. Critical issues prevail right
now and demand everyone’s attention.
Watching from the sidelines
is no longer an option for any of us.
If you are a fuel dealer, wholesaler,
Paul Nazzaro
equipment manufacturer or any
other company deriving profits from
the supply chain, your commitment
to industry-wide collaboration is no
longer elective, but mandatory.
Friendly competition
It is possible to compete with one
another, while working together, to
keep our industry strong and viable
for the future. Social
distancing will certainly
challenge our
collaboration methods,
but I believe those
who exude passion to
succeed will be driven
to give it their best
shot, and your best
shot is all the industry
is asking of you.
Moving forward,
consider sharing ideas
and leaning on one
another. Remember,
no person is an island.
Knowledge increases
in value when it is
shared, not hoarded.
There is power in
sharing and co-creating,
and that garners
trust. Sharing may
be counterintuitive to
your experience and level of comfort,
but at the very least, sharing
your vision with your employees
and customers is of paramount importance
as our industry continues
its transition from fossil fuel to low
carbon liquid fuels.
Best kept secret no more
You would be amazed at how many
existing fuel dealers I have encountered
selling biodiesel blended
ultra-low sulfur heating oil, aka Bioheat
®, that have not yet informed
their customers about it. Why is
that? The answer is simple—they
8 ICM/July/August 2020