34 www.wpma.com / Spring 2026 Quarter in History ... February, March and April continued 2 016 (Spring Feb-Apr) was dominated by a volatile presidential primary season, the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and rising grassroots activism. Trump and Clinton strengthened their delegate leads, the "Democracy Spring" protests, and intensied debates over judicial appointments set the stage for the 2016 general election. 15 Years Ago 2011 (SPRING WPMN) WPMA President Rob Franklin from United Oil in Twin Falls, Idaho: “We discontinued winterizing diesel this week, and the snow is blowing sideways across my office window. I wonder if we made the right decision. I second-guess myself a lot lately. I cannot see a rm direction in our economy (or the weather), even though the ‘Evening News’ tells me the national economy is improving (and the weather is warming) ... So I am doing what I can do. Locking in interest rates, making small acquisitions that are in my market and working to keep our facilities and vehicles in good condition … It is kind of the ‘lemonade out of lemons’ theory ... WPMA is starting to crunch the numbers from our February convention … Almost every- one enjoyed Dennis Miller! It was nice to be able to laugh. Things have been too serious too long.” 2005 Hall of Fame and Past 1998-99 WPMA President Craig Eerkes introduced Gerry Ramm as the 2011 Hall of Fame Recipient during the WPMAEXPO Keynote Session. Introduction of the new WPMA APP for Exhibitor Lists, Event Schedules, Maps and more in the palm of your hand were made during the WPMAEXPO. The WPMA APP is an added bonus to the WPMA State Conventions. WPMA Scholarship Foundation (WSF) Silent Auction bidding had always been done on paper. In 2011, bid sheets were replaced by electronic bidding on the WPMA APP. The "buy it now" price was introduced. CEO Gene Inglesby (GI): Thanked “Rob Franklin – President, Robert Ogan – 1st Vice President, Brett Adams – 2nd Vice President, Robert Fung – 3rd Vice President, Lary Poulton – Senior PMAA (EMA) Director, and Burton Black – Immediate Past President, for their countless hours of preparation to make our (2011) convention successful.” HI: President Mark Leong announced the election of Sayle Hirashima as HEMA's 1st Vice President and Edsel Eshima as 2nd Vice President. Legisla- tive session was in full swing. In the works was a bill to amend the fuel tax law to clarify that the entire fuel tax return was a public record available for public inspection. A bill allowed gasoline dealers to enter into cooperative purchasing agreements to acquire discounts on gasoline purchases. Another bill required the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules to require retail gas and diesel dealers to post the amount of federal, state, and local taxes paid on each gallon of fuel. ID: (SB) asked “Have We Hit Bottom Yet? That is the question as legislative budget writers labor to squeeze a few more dollars out of the current year’s budget and guess about the future of the Idaho economy ... Governor’s Transportation Task Force: Lots of Ideas, No Legislative Proposals ... Some Say it is Time for New Taxes, but Most Lawmakers Just Say No.” Yet to emerge were tobacco, beer and wine tax increases, transportation funding, and sales taxes extending to labor and services. MT: (RA) Senate bills were on reforms to the MT Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), and work comp reform. June’s convention schedule was shared with a welcome to new members. NV: (PK) shared NACS 2009 US Senate District report on the Nevada convenience store industry. NM: (RB) August convention was scheduled for Embassy Suites in Albuquerque. Listed were newly elected ocials and bills that were being tracked. UT: (JH) “UPMRA held its second Day on Capitol Hill, where Members and Associates came for lunch, a discussion of current legislative issues, and to meet with State Legislators.” Bills discussed were Motor and Special Fuel Tax amend- ments, Underground Storage Tank amendments, and PST Trust Fund. Rule change rolling on tanker truck testing. An on-line operator training class was set for UST Class A and B operators. WA: (LM) a new component to revolutionize the 2011 trade show was a virtual booth viewable for 365-dayson the web. Bills slated were Biofuel Mandate, Rest Area Commer- cialization, and Handling Allowance. Continued Bills were Stormwater Fees, PLIA Merger and B&O taxes. WMIC: (DL) gave facts and gures with charts showing the rising health insurance premium costs from 2009-2010. “With such a deep cut into the pockets of American workers during tumultuous economic times, it’s easy to see why the number of uninsured Americans continues to climb.” 20 11 (Feb 6) Super Bowl XLV, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers (31–25) in what was, at the time, the most-watched television program in US history (111 million viewers). 20 11 (Apr 29) The royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Spring 2011 WPMN Cover Clip
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