The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) introduced its revamped fuel marketer-to-marketer website and new videos at the 2019 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show in Atlanta.
This year, ACE was accompanied on the trade show floor by Helena Jette, Director of Biofuels for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council.
“Based on input from retailers who stopped to talk to us at trade shows, emails and phone calls we received from marketers, and conversations we had with station owners and operators we work with, ACE updated the flexfuelforward.com website to provide more in-depth information for retailers considering adding E15 and flex fuel, and more answers from fellow marketers to questions retailers frequently ask about ethanol,” said Ron Lamberty, ACE Senior Vice President and Market Development Director. “Flexfuelforward.com started out as a ‘landing page,’ where marketers could find general information on higher ethanol blends and then link to other existing sites with more detailed information on the topic they were searching for. We still do that, however, retailers told us they like the E15 & Flex Fuel Retailer Roadmap, and with more in-depth video and testimonials from real-world ethanol retailers, prospective higher-blend marketers can now have more of their questions answered without leaving a site they trust.”
Studies show people trust information they get from “a person like me,” and that fact drives ACE’s approach to developing new markets.
After helping wholesalers and retailers add or expand their ethanol offerings, ACE follows up with those marketers to share their successes and challenges with other retailers who may be considering adding higher ethanol blends.
The website was created to provide 24/7 access to those peer stories. Station owners can read information or watch short film clips from other station owners who have already done the things they are considering.
“Earlier this year, we had a conversation with Mike Lorenz from Sheetz, and single-store owners Bruce Vollan of Midway Service, and Charlie Good of Good & Quick,” Lamberty said. “We talked to them about questions they’ve been receiving from other retailers and asked them some of the questions we’ve gotten from marketers considering adding E15 and flex fuels. Several videos from those conversations are up on the website. The look of the site has also changed to emphasize current news including updates to rules or policy changes as they happen, answers to retailer questions, and easier access to our E15 & Flex Fuel Retailer Roadmap.”