Education Highlights

Opening General Session
Tuesday May 11 | 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
 


Mergers & Acquisitions, Tax Law, and the Politics That May Affect Your Business
Spencer Cavalier and Cedric Fortemps, Matrix Capital Markets Group, and Douglas Kantor, Steptoe and Johnson 

Join Matrix Capital Markets Group for an update on M&A, drivers affecting activity and the potential impact of expected changes in tax law legislation.  They will be joined by Doug Kantor of Steptoe & Johnson, who will provide insight on the politics and probability of income tax law change, key senators and representatives influencing legislation, how those politicians may be influenced by their constituents, and the impact of lobbyists and PACS.  An inside look at how Washington politics may affect you!

Business Meeting and General Session
Thursday, May 13 |  8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Welcome and SIGMA President’s Report
Richard Guttman, Guttman Energy, SIGMA President

SIGMA Committee Reports

Navigating the Cloud: Setting Up For Success in Changing Times
Moderators: Randy Braatz and Nate Russell, PDI
Panelists: Bob Kenyon, Renewable Energy Group, Terry Tesch, R.B. Stewart, and Mark Franz, SIGMA

With the dramatic increase in new technologies the over the last five years, and more on the way, our panel will start a conversation around the changing requirements for success in the industry.  New technologies like going to the “Cloud” typically create high expectations, but there are often a number of challenges to realize the benefits of these investments.  We will talk about what’s changed, the challenges that we are facing, and the questions you should be asking to position your organization for success now and in the future.. 

Reimagining and Rebuilding your Energy Enterprise: Insightful COVID Recovery Data Informs Stronger Decisions in 2021
Charles Davis and Heather Killough, DTN
Spotlight appearances from Brian Milne and Troy Vincent, DTN 

With 2020 in the rear-view, a distinct data picture is emerging. DTN’s team of analysts have gone behind the numbers to uncover surprising and valuable insights about fuel demand and economic recovery.  Join DTN at SIGMA Spring to hear learnings and patterns that will inform your 2021 decisions and strengthen your enterprise processes.


Breakfast Education Session
Wednesday, May 12 | 8:00 AM - 8:50 AM

Fuel Markets – Surviving or Thriving?
Denton Cinquegrana, OPIS

The past year has been one for the books – with a global pandemic and a changing administration, the markets have reflected the unprecedented times.  There are many aspects to the fuels market globally and those aspects have all be affected differently.  Some have thrived in the wake of COVID while others have simply survived the unrest.  Join this session for a discussion on the breakdown of the markets and what the next year may hold for your businesses.

Lunch Education Session
Wednesday, May 12 | 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

What Keeps IT Executives Up At Night – A Panel Discussion
Moderator: Gabe Olives, Impact21
Panelists: Tony Caputo, Warren Rogers; Rocky Dewbre, Mansfield Energy Corp;, and Gray Taylor, Conexxus              

 

As technology becomes more complex and further integrated into our business and customer interactions, IT executives are faced with growing concerns that may keep them up at night. Many executives are left tossing and turning, wondering how they will solve tomorrow’s issues today with the resources they have available. While 2021 brings plenty of new and exciting opportunities for IT executives, it is also wrought with issues to overcome. This panel discussion will address challenges as well as industry trends that are top of mind for IT executives in 2021 along with strategies to alleviate them, so they as well as you can finally get that much-needed good night’s sleep.
Breakout Sessions

Understanding the Shifting Dynamics of Market Share in the Upside Down World of COVID-19
John Keller, Price Advantage by Skyline Products 

All markets have been turned upside down by COVID, but not all markets have been impacted the same way. This session will discuss how we can use visit count data to see the ways in which different markets have been impacted, and the rates at which different markets and brands are bouncing back. We will discuss the insight gained when you compare visit count trends for your locations and brands to those of your competitors. This insight directly impacts strategies around fuel pricing, product offerings, and rewards programs. We will discuss how visit count data enables you to replicate success in areas where you are gaining market share. This insight includes comparisons to businesses that historically may not have been in your space, taking into account the changes happening in consumer buying behavior.

How to be a Better Retailer
Moderator: Roy Strasburger, StrasGlobal
Panelists: John Anderson, Nyerere Ellis, and Steve Morris, StrasGlobal 

 

Jobbers and dealers are always looking for tools and real-world solutions to run their sites as professionally and profitably as possible. This workshop will talk about these needs and identify specific solutions in operations, accounting, marketing and HR available to independents and small chains. 

Corrosion and Degradation in USTs                                                                                                          Brad Hoffman, Tanknology 

Join this session and learn the various problems that can occur in UST’s storing biofuels and the likely causes, as well as what preventive and corrective actions that can be taken in your systems. The presentation will feature videos taken inside UST’s using Tanknology’s TankCam® system.  

 

Injecting A.I. Into Fuel Supply – Technology to Enable Better Decisions
Mike Scharf, capSpire and Gravitate 

Fuel retailers interested in maintaining strong fuel margins must have the ability to reliably control fuel supply costs. Minimizing the cost of laid-in fuel is a complex process due to supply optionality, dynamic prices, variable demand, and transportation challenges. In this session, Mike will discuss how A.I. can support better supply decisions and seamless execution through integrated best buy and dispatch technology. 

Join Mike Scharf of Gravitate to examine how A.I. can provide a competitive advantage in the c-store industry through 7 steps: demand forecasting, supply management, best buy, dispatch, route optimization, in-cab technology, and carrier management.

Sale Leaseback Financing – Leveraging Dirt, Sticks & Bricks to Grow Your Business
Matt Lipson and Chris Lomuto, Stan Johnson Company 

Widely used by many of the nation’s largest petroleum marketers, sale leaseback is one of the most powerful and effective ways to generate cash for business acquisitions, remodeling, and other cash-intensive projects that elevate your game as a marketer.  Yet this decades-old capital solution remains largely un-tapped by middle-market players.  Join Chris and Matt for an overview of how sale leaseback works, who’s been doing it, why, and what you can expect from such a strategy.

Risk Management in Today’s Credit Climate                          
Noll Saunders, Euler Hermes North America

Obtaining, giving, and monitoring credit stability on your customers in today’s economy is extremely vital to the financial success of your company. In this session you will learn how you can monitor, give feedback, analysis and overall sustainability on how your customers are performing. The bi-product of this is the insurance with the true value being data and information to bring your sales and credit teams together. You will also learn the foundations of a sold credit management strategy and the ability to create a structure & discipline for credit decision making in our current economic environment.