A major highlight of the event will be the formal launch of the CITGO reimage. The new retail canopy and pump designs, which were developed with input from the marketers, "blaze a new trail for the CITGO brand and will help local marketers and retailers attract more consumers to their locations," the company said.
"As we plan for the exciting future ahead, we want to re-emphasize our commitment to meeting the needs of the local marketers and retailersthe people who serve as the face of the CITGO brand every day in their local communities," said Gustavo Velasquez, vice president supply and marketing. "The new CITGO image is one of the many programs we have designed to make an impact on local operations so that our marketers and retailers can meet the demands of their customers and communities."
"We are excited to bring the CITGO family together again to celebrate, inform and learn from one another," said Gustavo Velasquez, vice president supply and marketing. "It is also an opportunity to honor the Cities Service legacy and how it continues to influence CITGO today. In fact, our 100-year milestone was made possible by our network of local light oils and lubricants marketers and our dedicated employees, some of whom worked many years under the green and white Cities Service logo. While many things have changed since the Cities Service days, one tradition continues: the unique but strong alliance between CITGO and its marketers."
The Centennial Summit for CITGO marketers will also feature the chairmen of the CITGO Marketer Councils, J. Hulon Williams III of J. H. Williams Oil Co. Inc. and Tim Hutchens of Hutchens Petroleum, who will present and discuss the marketers' perspective. Individual business-unit breakout sessions will provide platforms for marketers to discuss specific issues and initiatives that impact their businesses. Additionally, senior CITGO executives will present the financial, operational, refining and community engagement efforts of the company, all of which are conducted in alignment with its shareholder, Petroleos de Venezuela SA.
Separately, CITGO Petroleum Corp. has congratulated marketer Donald Saunders of Warren, Ill.-based Saunders Oil, who was honored with the 2010 William R. Deutsch Bucketeer Award for 50 years of service in the petroleum industry. The presentation by the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMA) was made at the IPMA Membership Meeting on April 30.
"CITGO is proud to partner with men like Donald, who symbolize the old-fashioned values of hard work and customer service," said Alan Flagg, general manager light oils marketing for CITGO "Saunders Oil is a great example of a family-owned business focused on supporting its friends and neighbors at every turn."
Donald Saunders began his career in 1956 as the parts foreman and shop manager at Warren Auto Co., a local Ford dealership in Warren. From there he became a commissioned agent for DX Oil and gained the knowledge and experience he needed to start Saunders Oil Co., Inc., in 1970. The company became a CITGO marketer in 1998.
Donald's son Brian, daughter-in-law Karlene and grandsons Luke and Jeremy help run Saunders Oil. Over the past 40 years, the company has grown to more than 70 employees servicing five convenience stores, two bulk delivery trucks, bulk and packaged oil and two transport trucks.
"It is because of men like Donald Saunders that the Bucketeer Award was createdmen who don't work because they want recognition, but because they appreciate the feeling of creating something from the ground up," said Mark Bayley, president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association/Illinois Association of Convenience Stores (IPMA/IACS). "We are honored to present Donald with this award for his half century of supporting and growing the Illinois petroleum industry."
Under Donald's guidance, Saunders Oil has actively supported the local communities through fundraising efforts and participation in organizations that help the Warren area. Donald himself helped start the local Chamber of Commerce and was a Legion Commander and volunteer fireman.
The generosity of the Saunders Oil team gained national recognition last year when the company was featured in an episode of the hit CBS TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. With assistance from CITGO, the Saunders family donated fuel to local contractors who renovated the fire-damaged home of a local family, which was also dealing with a cancer diagnosis for one of the family members.
"I know my father is humble and will say he doesn't deserve this award," said Brian Saunders, president of Saunders Oil and Donald's youngest child. "However, I've seen the heart and soul that he has put into running this business and supporting our community. I grew up with it and it's amazing to watch the seeds he planted 50 years ago continue to grow."
Houston-based CITGO is dedicated to helping local businesses and communities, like Saunders Oil and each of the nearly 6,500 CITGO stations across 27 states and the District of Columbia. The company 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 Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
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