ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Jay Ricker, chairman of Ricker Oil Co. in Anderson, Ind., was elected chairman of the Fuels Institute. The election took place Nov. 20 during the Fuels Institute’s Annual Meeting and Fuels Summit in Newport Beach, Calif.
Andy Viens, president of global marketing for Phillips 66 Co., Houston, was elected treasurer, and Fuels Institute executive director John Eichberger was re-elected secretary.
The Fuels Institute, founded by NACS in 2013, is a nonprofit research-oriented think tank dedicated to evaluating market issues related to vehicles and the fuels that power them. Since its founding in early 2013, it has commissioned and published feasibility studies related to several alternative fuels and examined the vehicle market and consumers perceptions of key fuels and vehicle types.
Ricker succeeds Bill Douglass, managing partner of Douglass Distributing Co., Sherman, Texas, who served as the Institute’s first chairman during its inaugural and formative first 21 months. Douglass will continue to serve on the Institute’s 11-member Board of Directors.
Ricker founded Ricker Oil Co. with his wife, Nancy, as a fuel distributor in the 1970s. In 1989, they opened their first Ricker’s convenience store. Today, the company operates 50 convenience retail locations in Indiana, most under the Ricker’s name, as well as a petroleum distributorship and other enterprises. A member of the NACS Board of Directors from 2000 to 2012, Ricker was 2010 NACS chairman of the board. He also served two terms as NACS vice chairman of convention and events and two terms as NACS vice chairman of industry relations. In addition, Ricker served on the NACS Supplier Board and on the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council.
In addition to his service with NACS, Ricker is past chair of the BP Amoco Marketers Association, past president of the Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, and a past member of the Marathon Jobber Advisory Council. Ricker earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University.
The Fuels Institute’s governing structure incorporates a diverse set of stakeholders including, but not limited to, fuel retailers, fuel producers and refiners, alternative and renewable fuel producers, automobile manufacturers, environmental advocates, consumer organizations, academics, government entities and others with expertise in the fuels and automotive industries.
The Fuels Institute’s complete Board of Directors are:
- Jay Ricker (chairman), chairman, Ricker Oil Co., Anderson, Ind.
- Andy Viens (treasurer), president of U.S. marketing, Phillips 66 Co., Houston
- Mark DeVries, director of business development, POET LLC, Wichita, Kansas
- Bill Douglass, managing partner, Douglass Distributing Co., Sherman, Texas
- Norman Herrera, manager of corporate development, Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City
- Max McBrayer, senior vice president, RaceTrac Petroleum, Atlanta
- Jeff Morris, vice chairman of the board of directors, Alon USA, Dallas
- Ron Sabia, president, Gulf Oil LP, Framingham, Mass.
- Norman Turiano, principal, Turiano Strategic Consulting LLC, Cape Coral, Fla.
- Michael Whatley, executive vice president, Consumer Energy Alliance, Washington
- Bob Wimmer, director of energy & environmental research group, Toyota Motor North America Inc., Washington
The Fuels Institute will continue to commission and publish comprehensive, fact-based research projects that address the issues identified by the affected stakeholders. These projects will help to inform both business owners considering long-term investment decisions and policymakers considering legislation and regulations affecting the market.
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