MFA Oil plant, operations and district managers came together in Springfield, Mo., on April 18-20 for the company’s annual managers meeting. The group was split into two different sessions, with the mid-south, southeast and southwest districts meeting on the first two days, followed by the northeast, northwest and west central districts gathering on the last two days.
“These meetings are a great opportunity for our BPLP management group to come together and meet face-to-face with one another,” Kenny Steeves, senior vice president of MFA Oil operations, said. “It was invigorating to meet and speak with several new teammates. There was a lot of good information shared, including discussions about our strategic direction.”
Steeves provided attendees with a division update that included performance through February, news about recent acquisitions and efforts to invest in training and equipment for employees. He asked the managers to consider the areas where they would like to see additional learning and professional growth opportunities.
Tom Procter, director of safety and maintenance, reviewed trends for general liability, workers’ compensation and driving safety. He then discussed propane inspection reports (PIRs) and the need to ensure they are completed correctly. Procter noted that 7% of PIRs in the current fiscal year were returned with comments, and 5% were rejected.
An overview of the company’s lubricant products was provided by Zach Studer, senior manager of distribution, procurement and quality control. Studer highlighted the company’s Excede® (passenger car motor oil) and Work Horse® (heavy-duty engine oil) brands, the Lube Advisor product selection tool, and services offered by the MFA Oil Laboratory.
Robert Burlbaugh, director of field training and procedures, and Joe Case, senior acquisitions manager, led interactive discussions about how to best use the Energy-Force route optimizer. They reviewed the optimizer’s goals, criteria it considers when building routes, case studies and strategies to make the most of the software.
Justi Montague, director of operational efficiency and data governance, provided updates on several upcoming projects, including:
- Customer and vendor management – This project seeks to build relationships between customers and their accounts for reporting and marketing purposes.
- Automated customer setup – This project is meant to speed up and automate credit approval and account creation for customers.
- Inventory improvements – This project seeks to improve inventory transaction accuracy and reduce time spent on inventory research.
The following employees were recognized for service awards at the meeting:
5 Years
Michael Beck, Plant Manager – Hamilton
Chad Laune, Plant Manager – California
Andy Rhoten, Plant Manager – Duncan, Okla.
10 Years
Trevor Honeycutt, Southeast District Manager
Matthew Warren, Plant Manager – West Plains
Michael Whitney, Northwest District Manager
15 Years
Matt Anderson, Plant Manager – Monroe City
Jenny Daggett, Director of Operations
Stuart Dowdy, Plant Manager – Cole Camp
Kirk Poyner, Plant Manager – Nevada
25 Years
Dustin Snodgrass, Sr. Acquisitions Manager