Tackling the Tough Topic of Race Relations

Promoting and Advancing Petroleum Marketing, Retail Grocery, and Convenience Stores in West Virginia

Driving Local Business and Community Growth Across West Virginia

Our Purpose and Commitment

OMEGA is a West Virginia-based organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the business interests of the state’s petroleum marketing, retail grocery, and convenience store industries.

As a network of over 225 locally owned businesses, OMEGA actively promotes cooperation, advocates for favorable legislation, and provides education and resources to its members. With over 50,000 employees, OMEGA members significantly contribute to the state’s economy, generating more than 10% of all state taxes and supporting local communities through scholarships, charitable donations, and civic involvement.

OMEGA is committed to fostering industry growth while serving West Virginians with essential services like fuel, food, and convenience.

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Your Essential Connection in West Virginia

OMEGA offers three types of membership: Convenience Store Members, Petroleum Marketer Members, and Grocer Members, all of which play a vital role in providing fuel, food, and essentials across West Virginia. As a liaison with state and national agencies, OMEGA works closely with organizations like NACS, PMAA, FMI, and the N.G.A. to advocate on behalf of its members.

We keep members informed through newsletters, legislative updates, an online resource hub, and educational seminars. Additional member benefits include access to the Encova Workers’ Compensation Discount Program and participation in our annual Trade Expo and fundraising efforts for children’s charities. OMEGA is here to support, advocate, and enhance the success of our industry members.

Just because something is difficult does not excuse us from tackling it. In fact, FMI believes the tougher the topic is, the deeper the need to address it. Consequently, FMI is partnering with the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) in an initiative to facilitate food industry conversations around the issues of Racial Justice, Inclusion and Diversity.

By: David Fikes, Executive Director, FMI Foundation <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/hands-blue_sm.tmb-large-350-.png?sfvrsn=57309581_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Hands Blue_sm" title="Hands Blue_sm" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;" />Anyone who has suffered a fractured relationship knows that the road to restoring trust, repairing ruptured connections and recovering equanimity is hard and involves some intense listening, vulnerable admissions and more than a few sessions of down-in-the-dirt honest sharing. And in the parlance of adages, if something didn’t break overnight, it isn’t going to be fixed overnight, so these trust-building conversations start slowly and require long term patient perseverance.  While having a few silver linings along the way, for the most part, COVID-19 has raised the overall stress level of our entire nation. This state of heightened anxiety has served to expose some of the more vulnerable spots in the underbelly of American society. Not least among these, pandemic apprehensions have amplified the oft-subterranean racial tensions running through our culture and pressured them to erupt in some obvious and oft-unfortunate destructive ways.  Two conflicting truths emerge: healing takes time, talk and trust and discussing race issues is risky because emotions about it run deep and feel raw. But just because something is difficult does not excuse us from tackling it. In fact, FMI believes the tougher the topic is, the deeper the need to address it. Consequently, FMI is partnering with the <a href="https://foodintegrity.org/">Center for Food Integrity (CFI)</a> in an initiative to facilitate food industry conversations around the issues of <a href="https://www.fmi.org/foundation/our-accomplishments/single/foundation-blog/2020/10/28/racial-justice-inclusion-and-diversity-initiative">Racial Justice, Inclusion and Diversity</a>. The goal of the initiative is to create an environment that encourages food organizations to have productive, transparent exchanges and work together to promote a more inclusive and equitable future for everyone in the food system.  A significant part of the initiative’s strategy calls for a series of digital dialogues exploring how race and diversity are being addressed at food organizations in all parts of the food chain. The first of these roundtable conversations was facilitated by A’Yanna Webster,Ph.D., CEO of Winning Within & Associates on November 3 and featured panelists Jacquelyn Howard, vice president, global supply chain, The Starbucks Coffee Company, and Melissa Ackerman Melshenker, president of the Produce Alliance. A recording of this conversation is available at: <a href="https://lookeast.zoom.us/rec/play/fSrPgondysGOObZvl1i5bxWT0rs9J6RIqRuKxyJkuGghoEvT-IB-VInO_LK4QDbHwVapg_LNDz_1pJPm.qVBGtWwXCQKmCBZ1?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=yfNn98tMTcO_le8CqByjfQ.1605902628841.c7fce8ca080d8a012fc30ee291f849b9&_x_zm_rhtaid=213">CFI FMI Racial Justice, Inclusion and Diversity Digital Dialogue.</a> The next in the digital dialogue series is scheduled for November 30 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern and focuses on the food retail sector of the food industry. A’Yanna Webster returns to facilitate a conversation between Brian George, president and CEO of Alex Lee Inc. and Chris Skyers, vice president, own brands at Wakefern Food Corp. They will be discussing the challenges and opportunities that food retailers face in promoting racial justice, inclusion and diversity.  You may <a href="https://lookeast.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IG0_gwqpQA-j1XRA7TsXyw">click here to register</a> for the November 30 digital dialogue. Please take these first steps in a healing journey with us and join in the candid conversation and timely talk.

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Supporting West Virginia Communities

OMEGA members play a vital role in West Virginia, supporting communities through substantial tax contributions and a wide-reaching presence across the state. With over 55% of the population living in border counties, our members are dedicated to serving both local and regional needs. Beyond business, we’re proud to give back, having contributed over $3.1 million to children’s charities since 2003, reflecting our commitment to making a positive difference.