OHILI and NYOHA to Merge

OHILI and NYOHA approved a merger of their associations. The merged organizations will be known as the New York State Energy Coalition or NYSEC, the groups said in a statement.

A special general membership meeting of the Oil Heat Institute of Long Island will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6 to announce details of the merger and the transition. The meeting will be held at Westbury Manor, 1100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury, N.Y., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be a combined cocktail hour and buffet reception. Dessert tables will be set up following the buffet reception. The cost for OHILI members is $65. For non-members the cost is $75. To register, download a registration form at: https://ohili.org/email/010919/Reservation_Form_OHILI-Cocktail_Reception-11-6-19.pdf or call Vicki at 631-360-0200.

The Oil Heat Institute of Long Island and the New York Oil Heating Association will operate as they always have through the balance of this calendar year, the groups said. Over the next few months, the organizations said, they will be making back-office changes to ensure that business will continue efficiently.

Officers of NYSEC will serve two-year terms. They are:

Bruce Fuhrmann, president 

Vincent Theurer, vice president

Ray Hart, treasurer

Allison Heaney, secretary

Rocco Lacertosa, the current CEO of NYOHA, will become the CEO of the NYSEC which becomes the largest state heating oil organization by volume in the country. Lacertosa can be reached at 212-695-1380 and at rlacertosa@nyoha.org.

All current board members of OHILI and NYOHA will remain on the board of NYSEC until the next elections take place. OHILI and NYOHA said their members had met monthly since April to discuss the future of the industry and to develop strategies to face increasing pressures on their businesses and the industry. A vote approving the merger was held Oct. 2-3, the groups said in their Oct. 17 statement.