The roundtable meetings will enable marketers to learn about the programs and offerings for 2010 that will help their businesses grow and ask questions directly to CITGO representatives and key partners.
The roots of CITGO Petroleum Corp. stretch back to 1910 with the founding of the Cities Service Co. by oil industry pioneer Henry L. Doherty. One-hundred years later, CITGO has grown into one [image-nocss] of the top refining and marketing companies with a solid brand and innovative marketing programs.
"Despite the industrywide challenges over the past year, the CITGO brand is staying the course thanks to our emphasis on customer service, community involvement, quality products and the responsiveness of our sales force," said Gustavo Vel asquez, vice president of supply and marketing for CITGO. "We are confident that by building on current initiatives, our brand and the local marketers and retailers across our network will be in a strong position to thrive as the economy and industry begin to turn around.
"In looking back over the decades, we understand that our greatest strength lies in the partnerships that we have built through local marketers and retailers, including some who have been with us for 70 years and four generations," added Vel asquez.
One of these long-time marketers is Francois Oil Co., a Cities Service/CITGO Marketer since 1939.
"CITGO had a huge effect on my family," said Rick Francois of Francois Oil, Belleville, Wis. "It's everything. It's been the center of our life. It not only supported our family, it supported several families in town and the effect it had on the town was critical. Our Cities and then CITGO [stores] became a meeting place. It made a huge impact."
To ensure that marketers like Francois Oil have the tools they need to succeed in their local markets, each year CITGO reviews, updates and enhances its slate of marketing programs. Changes and additions to the 2010 programs include the following:
The new Centennial Re-image design for the nearly 7,000 CITGO retail locations will be unveiled on Sept. 2, the day the brand's ancestor, Cities Service, was established 100 years ago. A continuation of the "local hero" advertising and P.R. campaign that illuminates the contributions the locally owned and operated CITGO locations make to their communities. Evolution of Fueling Good, the social networking website that rewards people for doing good in their community. Revisions to the CITGO Grow Bucks program to provide enhanced access to funds for volume growth. Enhancements to the wide range of expenses reimbursable by the CITGO FAT Fund for efforts to improve the image of retail facilities. A new slate of customizable advertising materials that can be adapted to anything from a grand opening to customer appreciation days to special c-store offerings. The introduction of wireless broadband POS connectivity, offered in partnership with Sprint, that provides simple hardware and installation, along with the convenience of WiFi at the retail level. In addition to these program updates, CITGO has also added to its training programs. Developed in coordination with CITGO Buying Group and CBC Learning Centers, these programs cover a wide range of topics vital to local retailer operations.
Leading the way for 2010 are programs designed to educate marketers, retailers and employees on the updated Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations and help mitigate risk from data theft or the pitfalls of non-compliance. CITGO is also committed to providing guidance and support to ensure all equipment and software meets the new PCI requirements.
"All of us at CITGO want to use 2010 as the springboard to grow and generate greater success for all those associated with the brand," said Vel asquez. "We are confident that the host of programs, along with the continued interaction with the communities that our local marketers and retailers serve, will help us mark the next chapter in the history of this great brand."
CITGO, Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petr aleos de Venezuela S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
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