NEFI held its Annual Member Meeting on Thursday, June 18, at the MGM Springfield Hotel & Casino, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The agenda included special remarks from NEFI’s special guest, U.S. Representative Richard Neal (MA-1); a special meeting of the Board of Directors to review and vote on the new NEFI Bylaws; the NEFI Annual Membership Meeting; the NEFI Education Foundation, Inc. (EFI) Annual Meeting for all Members; and the NEFI Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors.

U.S. Representative Richard Neal

Rep. Neal spoke of his long association with exiting Chair Ted Noonan and his family and the importance of delivered fuels, especially renewable fuels, for the future, noting that the supply restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz proved the need for renewable fuels. As there is more demand for reliable fuels, he added, “you will be part of a renewable future,” as biofuels and renewables help meet that demand.

In today’s social media environment, Neal acknowledged that the smallest conflict is amplified, but stressed, “We need to get back to rewarding consensus, and away from rewarding the conflict.”

Special Meeting of the Board of Directors: New Bylaws Passed

Immediately following Neal’s comments, the Special Meeting of the Board of Directors was convened to consider the amended NEFI bylaws.

The changes to the NEFI Association Bylaws include:

• Updating the Industry Scope and Organizational Purpose to reflect the full breadth and diversification of NEFI’s membership.
• Adjusting the Membership Categories to reduce confusion, remove barriers to membership growth, and clarify the rights and privileges associated with each class. The new bylaws also replaced the complex “Delegates” system with a one-member, one-vote provision.
• The Board was reduced from a range of 15-80 directors to a minimum of 20, with no prescribed maximum, of which 60% of the appointed directors must be comprised of Fuel Retailers.
• The number of standing committees was reduced to four: Executive, Finance, Government Affairs, and Nominating Committees. All other committees will be formed on an ad hoc basis as needed, including HEAT Show, other events, marketing, and others.
• Other operational and administrative provisions implemented, to streamline and modernize the bylaws by removing antiquated items or those of an operational or administrative nature.

The new Bylaws were voted in by unanimous consent.

NEFI Annual Membership Meeting

At the Annual Membership Meeting portion of the morning, the slate of nominees for the Board of Directors was voted on and approved.

Jim Collura, NEFI President and CEO, presented NEFI's Annual Report, noting that “the Association is healthier and on firmer financial footing than it was at this time last year”, with income coming from dues, the Advocacy Fund, HEAT Show, Education Programs, and Affinity Benefits programs.  The Association ended its fiscal year with a surplus which was rolled into the 2026 general fund.

Collura announced that this year, with updated bookkeeping processes in place, no dues income was used for advocacy purposes, making membership dues 100% tax deductible.

NEFI Education Foundation, Inc. Annual Meeting

Diane Quesnelle, EFI Chair, led the EFI Annual Meeting for All Members. She reviewed the successful QSC-CSR programs, the fourth of which will begin in July, as well as the Collections Education and Service Manager Peer Group programs currently underway.

Quesnelle noted that the NEFI-NPGA ACE CDL Driver Education Program was recently audited by the FMCSA and approved for meeting all regulatory requirements, allowing NPGA to remain on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry as an authorized ELDT provider.

EFI is working to develop new executive education programs as well as an AI powered, hands-on technician training system.

NEFI Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors

During the Annual Meeting, NEFI President and CEO Jim Collura noted that “This winter, Mother Nature reminded us why the industry matters. He went on to acknowledge that the “policy winds” were shifting, with Congress and the Administration rolling back anti-fossil fuel policies, and focusing on affordability and reliability.

Reports followed from Marty Kirshner, Treasurer; Mike Estes, Government Affairs Chair; and Liam Dotson, Assistant PAC Treasurer, outlining the many successes that NEFI had achieved over the past year (view Achievements here). With that, the Board voted to confirm the nominees for NEFI Officers, and the new Chair, Steve Walsh, took the podium.

Walsh thanked the Board and especially outgoing Chair Ted Noonan, saying, “Ted Noonan has led this organization with extraordinary commitment, steady vision, and a quiet determination that I have had the privilege of witnessing up close. Ted, on behalf of this entire membership — thank you. You have set a standard worth striving for.”

Walsh spoke of his history, his experience on the NEFI board and his plans to implement the changes effected by the new bylaws and to refresh NEFI’s strategic plan to ground it in “what our membership has told us matters most to the future of this industry.”

In closing, Walsh said, “What I ask from each of you is simple: stay engaged. Bring your voice. Bring your ideas. This transformation is not something the Board will hand down to you — it is something we will build together, because it belongs to all of us.

This is for everyone in this room. And it is for the businesses in our industry who are not yet members – who we intend to welcome in.”

NEFI will send the full slate of officers and board members later this week.