CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Traci Nelson will readily admit she has big shoes to fill. Nelson was this week officially named the new President of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association. She takes the role after the death of her longtime friend and mentor Jan Vineyard earlier this year.
“There is no replacing a Jan Vineyard. She did an amazing job at everything she did,” said Nelson. “I think the goal is just to stay on the path she started.”
That path over the past 22 years grew the small organization over time into four different trade associations contained within the OMEGA umbrella. The organization now represents not only convenience store owners, but also the West Virginia Trucking Association, the West Virginia Wholesalers Association, and the Independent Insurance Agents of West Virginia.
“You couldn’t have learned from a better teacher than Jan Vineyard on how to run an association and how to take care of members,” Nelson explained. “Association work is a lot of customer service. We try to help our members with state agencies, regulatory information, and that kind of thing.”
The top issue facing the organization today is issues on the state’s borders and the difficulty increased state taxes pose on those trying to compete with business across those borders. For now, according to Nelson, it’s not going well.
“We always have to worry about border issues,” she said. “With the recent gas tax increase, on our Virginia border we already weren’t competitive and then you add three more cents on the gas tax it really, really hurts on the borders.”
Nelson was hired by Vineyard 22 years ago soon after she took control of the organization and Nelson has worked within the framework of OMEGA throughout its expansion and growth, Having watched and aided in that expansion Nelson believes will give her an advantage as she takes control of the reins for the future.