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Chairman’s Remarks Jeff Lykins

2007 BPAMA Chairman

In the two years that he has been BPAMA chairman, Jeff Lykins has seen monumental change in the relationship between BP and BPAMA: He has seen the BPAMA board achieve a new spirit of partnership with BP executives at the highest levels.

"Through our mutually fruitful collaboration, we have ensured that your voices (jobbers) are heard in key areas, including brand, fuel strategy, supply, pricing and local marketing," noted Lykins.

Some key accomplishments include the following:

Fuel strategy:

BPAMA’s board has been a strong voice in the need for a new gasoline strategy, which is currently in its pilot phase.

Supply:

The Supply Advisory Committee piloted customer-driven forecasting and timely notification.

Pricing:

BPAMA brought concerns regarding price growth, stability and application across all customer types.

Reputation:

BPAMA has helped BP connect with local and national leaders in the jobber community to understand the value of branded marketers business investments.

Offer development:

BPAMA has been a critical partner in building, supporting and differentiating the brand with programs like Helios 100, FLW, AdDepot and BP Visa®.

Lykins told participants that, together with BP and BPAMA, they must build on the accomplishments of the past few years regarding fundamentals like supply and GTA. Moreover, said Lykins, "We need to replace our mindset of quick, immediate profits with long-term consumer-preference, profitability and growth."

In particular, Lykins threw out three challenges to conference attendees for the coming year:

1. Challenge BP to be clear and consistent on how the company goes to market and commit to BP-branded jobbers as the chosen channel of trade.

2. Challenge Branded Marketers to get behind the brand, bring new sites to market and provide executional excellence – if you expect BP to remain committed to our channel.

3. Challenge BPAMA to facilitate and help keep all parties focused on the big picture.