Thursday March 22, 2007 FEATURES Behind the scenes: How Sheetz put together a 'Realistic Job Preview' on the Web How realistic is the 'Realistic Job Preview' on the Sheetz Web site? Earl Springer, the chain's manager of recruitment, told NPN MarketPulse that employees were interviewed about their jobs, how they do them and the attitude they bring to work, among other things, and that information formed a main element of the job previews. For example, a visitor to the site (sheetz.com) who chooses the preview for an associate store manager will see a picture of a woman who works in that position and hear audio that includes these remarks: "Once I stopped into my store on my day off. During that visit one of the sales associates mentioned that the toilet paper roll key for the men's room was not working. (Full Story) U.S. Chemical Safety Board calls for safety improvements at oil refineries Increased inspection and enforcement of health and safety regulations is needed at U.S. oil refineries and chemical plants, federal investigators for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said in a report issued March 20. The report also calls on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to require corporations to evaluate the safety impact of mergers, reorganizations, downsizing and budget cuts. (Full Story) Sign up for a FREE subscription to NPN, the magazine that has been reporting news and trends in the petroleum and convenience store industry since 1909. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Get The Data That Drives The Petroleum & Convenience Industry Today! To order your print copy or CD version of the 2006 NPN MarketFacts edition, please click here NEWS ITEMS In Georgia: Sunday alcohol sales still being considered A Sunday alcohol sales bill may be on its way to a vote in the Georgia Senate, The Ledger-Enquirer reported March 21. (Full Story) In Colorado: Some Diamond Shamrock stations are out of fuel Signs saying "Sorry, Out of Fuel" were posted at some Diamond Shamrock gas stations March 20, as a result of a Feb. 16 explosion and fire at a Texas refinery that supplies the Pikes Peak region, reported the Colorado Springs Gazette. (Full Story) CITGO donates $500,000 to fund Tulsa educational project CITGO Petroleum Corporation on March 19 announced a donation of $500,000 to the Community Service Council of Tulsa. The gift will support and strengthen Conecciones, a Hispanic educational and workforce initiative project. (Full Story) Report cites BP, OSHA in 2005 refinery explosion in Texas City A federal study released March 20 cited poor management and other problems as factors that led to the March 23, 2005, explosion at the BP refinery in Texas City. (Full Story) OPW Fuel Management Systems schedules training seminar in Denver OPW Fuel Management Systems, part of OPW Fueling Components, has scheduled its next product training seminar for April 17-20 in the Denver area. (Full Story) ExxonMobil Foundation awards $1 million to Memorial Hermann Life Flight Irving-based ExxonMobil annouced March 20 that the ExxonMobil foundation has made a $1 million contribution toward a new helicopter for Memorial Hermann Life Flight in Houston, Texas. (Full Story) Sam's Mart Selects Gilbarco Passport Sam's Mart Corporation, based in Charlotte, N.C., has chosen Gilbarco Veeder-Root's Passport as the point of sale system for 31 of its stores, according to a March 19 announcement by Gilbarco Veeder-Root. All the stores are Shell-branded and have Gilbarco fuel dispensers. (Full Story) Spartan announces deal to buy Felpausch stores for $38.5 million Spartan Stores Inc. announced March 19 that it should finalize acquisition of 20 Felpausch Food Centers, three convenience stores and two fuel centers in about 90 days, The Grand Rapids Press reported. The chain is owned by G&R Felpausch Co. in Hastings. (Full Story) Beer sales in Pennsylvania convenience stores debated The selling of beer in convenience and grocery stores will be the subject of a March 20 hearing in the Pennsylvania state legislature, WTAE-TV reported. (Full Story) Gasoline prices continue to climb as inventories drop Gasoline prices increased for the seventh straight week to an average of about $2.58 a gallon nationwide, according to a government report released March 19, the Associated Press reported. (Full Story) Senators urge UL to approve ethanol dispensing equipment Fourteen farm-state senators are urging Underwriters Laboratories Inc. to certify pumps that dispense ethanol, the Associated Press reported March 20. (Full Story) Wal-Mart drops bid for banking license Wal-Mart on March 16 withdrew a bid for a banking license and said it would find other ways to serve customers' financial needs, The Associated Press reported. (Full Story) Gas prices increase as driving habits stay steady During the past three weeks alone, national gas prices have increased by 20 cents per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration. (Full Story) Analyst: beer distribution mergers more likely A Bear Stearns analyst said March 16 that there is a possibility of a single-distributor model for beer being realized, and that Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. could emerge as a big winner. (Full Story) Tesoro to acquire hundreds of gas stations and a refinery in California Tesoro Corp. has agreed to buy 140 USA Petroleum Corp. gas stations for $277 million, according to an online article in Sacramento Business Journal on March 15. Five of the stations are in Greater Sacramento. (Full Story) PRODUCT OF THE WEEK DORVAL EXPANDS TOP POPS® LINE WITH NEW 18 COUNT BAG! Nanuet, NY-Dorval Trading Co., Ltd. extended its line of long-lasting chewy taffy pops with the Top Pops® 18 ct. assorted bag. Each bag contains 4 different flavor varieties: Strawberry, Watermelon, Strawberry-Lemon and Blazpberry® (Red and Blue Raspberry). The 6.3 oz. peg bags are packed 24 to a case and the suggested retail price is $1.29. Other existing Top Pop® items include 48 ct. display boxes available in five different flavor varieties. Dorval Trading Co., Ltd. www.dorvaltrading.com CALENDAR OF EVENTS Car Care World Expo 2007 Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas March 25-28 (888) ICA-8422 www.carcarecentral.com NACS Leadership Challenge Paradise, Texas April 1-6 (703) 684-3600 www.nacsonline.com   NACS State of the Industry Summit Hilton Riverside New Orleans April 10-12 (703) 684-3600 www.nacsonline.com NACS Category Management Workshop-Turning Data Into Euros The Gresham Hotel Dublin April 26 (703) 684-3600 www.nacsonline.com   SIGMA 2007 Spring Convention Loews Ventana Canyon Resort Tucson, Ariz. April 26-29 (703 )709.7000 www.sigma.org 2007 Mississippi Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Stores Association Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa Birmingham, Ala. August 1-4 (601) 353-1624 www.mpmcsa.com   For a complete list of industry events, go to NPN's calendar web page.  Published By NPN Group |  © 2007 NPN Group | All Rights Reserved For more information on NPN MarketPulse, contact: Gary Bevers, group publisher M2MEDIA360 Retail Distribution Group Ph: 832-444-7675 Fax: 800-430-3446 Keith Reid, editor-in-chief M2MEDIA360 NPN Group Ph: 630-739-0280 Fax: 630-739-0321 This newsletter is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of M2MEDIA360.

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