In an optimistic sign that things may be returning to a new normal, the company held its annual manager’s meetings in Springfield, Mo., on April 13, 14 and 15. MFA Oil plant, operations and district managers gathered together for the first time in two years. Last year’s event, like nearly all other meetings, was canceled due to the pandemic.
Managers from the southeast, southwest and mid-south districts met together for the first two days and their counterparts from the northeast, northwest and west-central districts convened on the second two days to allow for COVID-19 limitations. The presentations and activities planned for each group were identical.
The meetings began with dinner and service award presentations, which were followed by a corn hole tournament and door prize giveaways for the evening’s entertainment. The next morning was filled with discussions on Energy-Force, field training and procedures, safety, MFA Oil Captive Insurance, the company’s core values and corporate structure.
Kenny Steeves, senior vice president of MFA Oil operations, provided the managers with updates on the rollout of Energy-Force and its capabilities. Steeves informed the group that propane routes will be built and scheduled through an optimizer in Energy-Force and that the goal will be to maintain 85 percent route compliance to maximize efficiency.
Steeves then called on Joe Case and Dustin Snodgrass, senior acquisitions managers, to detail how plants can get ready for the conversion to Energy-Force, data cleanup that will need to be done before the change-over, and how inventory will be handled in the new system.
Robert Burlbaugh, director of field training and procedures, talked about his efforts to standardize the company’s policies, training and operations in the field. Burlbaugh plans to make the training program more robust and consistent.
During a review of the company’s compliance, safety and accountability (CSA) scorecard, Tom Procter, director of safety and service, highlighted an uptick in crashes and safety violations. Procter and his safety team will be emphasizing the five rules of the Smith System with all employees who drive a company vehicle to improve safety scores. Drivers are encouraged to:
- Aim High in Steering
- Remember the Big Picture
- Keep Your Eyes Moving
- Leave Yourself an Out
- Make Sure They See You
Ed Harper, vice president of enterprise risk management, detailed how our insurance costs have increased over $3 million year-over-year while the company’s umbrella policy had its coverage reduced. These factors led to the decision to begin self-insuring a portion of MFA Oil’s insurance coverage. Harper said the newly created MFA Oil Captive Insurance division can help the cooperative save a lot of money on insurance premiums but improving customer and workplace safety will be paramount to its success.
“We need to do a better job of prioritizing customer and workplace safety,” Harper said. “This will help us ensure our people go home safely to their families each night while also reducing our claims.”
Jon Ihler, president and CEO, wrapped up the meetings with a recap of the company’s core values and a review of the co-op’s corporate structure.
Winners of the 2020 fiscal year incentive and oil sale contests were also recognized.
FY20 Incentive Contest Winners
To qualify for the sales incentive contest, plant managers had to conduct face‐to‐face sales
calls at customer locations that resulted in at least 60 qualified leads. Winners were selected based on the largest percentage increase in net income over results from the 2019 fiscal year.
Class 1A ‐ Up to $250,000
• Matt Warren 319.1%
• Patrick Barrett 29.9%
Class 2A ‐ $250,001 ‐ $750,000
• Tim Findling 270.2%
• Jay Fisher 147.5%
Class 3A ‐ $750,001 ‐ $1,000,000
• Matt Anderson 10005.4%
• Randy Bargfrede 126.0%
Class 4A ‐ $1,000,001 ‐ $1,500,000
• Garrett Antoine 341.6%
• Mark Hailey 155.1%
Class 5A ‐ $1,500,001 and Up
• Mike Moulton 564.0%
• Donnie Rouse 120.0%
FY20 Oil Sale Contest Winners
Winners selected based on top two managers with the largest percentage increase in volume over the 2019 fiscal year sales period.
• Larry Eggen 62.0%
• Drew Felten 60.3%