Randy Gard, Chief Operating Officer of Bosselman Enterprises, owner of the Nebraska-based Pump & Pantry convenience store chain, will take part in a fuel retailer panel during the Aug. 16 general session of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference.
Following his remarks about the company’s E15 growth on stage with President Trump at the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Gard will share Bosselman’s next steps with year-round E15 finalized in front of the ACE conference audience in Omaha, Neb.
Gard is one of the retailers ACE features on its flexfuelforward.com website to connect fuel retailers with other marketers who have increased their volumes and profits by adding higher ethanol blends to their fuel slate.
“In 2017, our sales of E15 increased over 300 percent. In 2018, they went up another 225%. And with the help of President Trump opening the door for year-round E15, our newest projections for this year show an increase of another 400%,” Gard said during Trump’s visit to Iowa. “I want to encourage retailers to not be afraid of it. Our customers love it — and the numbers don’t lie, right? Retailers have a rare opportunity to make the move to E15 and take market share. We want to win based on our own strategies, not by someone else’s decisions.”
During the first summer of nation-wide approved E15 use, the 2019 ACE conference retailer panel entitled “RINs, Carbon Credits, and other E15 and Flex Fuel Marketer Math” will not only the long-term market growth opportunity Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new E15 rule presents, but also the history and math associated with selling E15 and higher blends, like E85, including low carbon fuel credits and Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs).
Mike Lewis, Co-Founder of California-based Pearson Fuels, will also join the panel moderated by ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty.
“As one of the first marketers to sell E15 and E85 in Nebraska, once Bosselman realized different ways to monetize RINs, they gained a huge advantage over their competitors, and sales took off,” said Lamberty. “I’ll ask Gard about how the company has used their knowledge of RINs to gain new market share, buying directly from ethanol producers, and the roll out of their new ‘Boss Fuel’ brand. Bosselman’s ethanol use rose by almost 5 million gallons per year over the last few years. By helping just one marketer understand the math of E85 and E15, a significant amount of new ethanol demand has been created, and that doesn’t include competitors who had to adjust to try and keep up with Pump & Pantry. Even better, ACE can continue to educate other marketers when retailers like Gard share their success stories with their peers at trade shows, workshops, and theflexfuelforward.com website.”
These discussions are an opportunity for ethanol producers and others to hear firsthand from retailers how the industry can help them sell more ethanol. Visit ethanol.org/events/conference for more event details.
