A new, exciting position as a Service Coordinator is now open at R.M. Roach and Sons, Inc.  The successful applicant needs excellent customer service and computer skills, with strong emphasis on meeting company sales goals. Night/weekend work may be needed.

A full benefit package will be available.

Please apply online, on this web site, at http://www.roachenergy.com/index.php?/roach/careers_application/.  You may also apply in person at any ROCS convenience store or the R.M. Roach and Sons corporate office, 333 E John St., Martinsburg WV 25401.

The last day to submit your application is April 15.

R.M. Roach and Sons service techs Ben Westmeyer and Chase Price were lauded in early December by a customer impressed with their service. 
In a hand-penned note, Mr. Clarence Nissley commended Westmeyer and Price for their efforts in removing an old, leaking oil tank and installing a new one. 
Mr. Nissley also asked Roach officials to “keep this note with my account to verify that the customer was very satisfied with the total episode.” 
R.M. Roach and Sons has been serving the eastern West Virginia panhandle with heating oil and related products ever since the company was founded by “Mickey” Roach in 1952 in Martinsburg.

Hundreds of R.M. Roach and Sons customers, both old and new, flocked to the Marlowe BP station to try their hand at driving the large BP speedboat.

The event was for Customer Appreciation Day at the Marlowe BP, and featured the large and exciting BP Boat Simulator.  Pictures from the event, held on October 14, are shown.

R.M. Roach and Sons Inc. hosted a regional update training class for 25 West Virginia and Maryland handlers of propane and other volatile gas products in September.

“Keeping up with the latest standards for moving, using and installing any kind of fuel system is a responsibility we support 100 percent,” said Steve Roach, Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of R.M. Roach and Sons.  “We’re honored to have been chosen to host this class.”

The class was sponsored by the West Virginia National Propane Gas Association, and covered basic information and updates on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)  requirements for installing gas appliances, transporting gas products, and proper handling of propane cylinders.

The all-day course was taught by Regional Safety Coordinator/Propane Product Specialist Jim Tucker of Charleston, West Virginia.  Six fuel delivery companies in Maryland and West Virginia sent employees to the class, including Thompson Gas, Southern States, Shawley’s, Blue Flame Inc. and AC&T.

Class participants received paper copies of a PowerPoint presentation that included revised portions of the NFPA National Fuel Gas Code Handbook and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code Handbook.

Roach employees successfully completing the class were:  Safety Director Roy Young, Service Manager James Franklin, and Propane Technicians Gary Miller and Tommy Myers.

Dear Griller-In-Chief:

Here are the top tips for winning acclaim for succulent steaks and burgers from your propane grill.  Download: Tips for Succulent Steaks and Burgers.  We promise not to tell your family the secret of your sudden expertise with steaks or burgers.

Incidentally, if you’d like a reminder on safety in handling propane while getting your grill started, please check out our “Starting a Propane Grill” quiz.  Propane is a very safe fuel, but I always like to remind Roach Energy customers that it IS a fuel, and so should be treated with respect.

Thanks for using Roach Energy propane, and happy grilling this holiday!

Steve Roach, co-owner and COO
R.M. Roach and Sons, Inc.
304-263-3329

Dear Griller-In-Chief:

Please take a minute to test your knowledge on how to safely start a propane grill, preferably BEFORE you hold a match to the flow of gas from the propane tank.  Download: Starting a Propane Grill Safety Quiz.  The correct answers are on the next page.  Propane is a very safe fuel, but I always like to remind Roach Energy customers that it IS a fuel, and so should be treated with respect.

Incidentally, if you’d like some expert tips on getting the juiciest, tastiest steak or burgers from your propane grill, just download our free Roach Energy Grilling Tips. We promise not to tell your family the secret of your sudden expertise.

Thanks for using Roach Energy propane, and happy grilling this holiday!

Steve Roach, co-owner and COO
R.M. Roach and Sons, Inc.
304-263-3329

Some might call 8-year-old Emily Butts a “lightweight.”  But the 42-pound Martinsburg girl won first place in the stock car division of the Martinsburg Soap Box Derby on Saturday, June 13.  Observers said that although the relatively light car and driver had an advantage moving off the starting line, heavier contestants usually took the lead on the steeper parts of the hill due to the effect of gravity on the heavier vehicles.

Taylor Riner, 13, won the super stock category in the race, edging out her sister Tierney, 16, who also competed in that category. Both Emily Butts and Taylor Riner won $500 savings bonds, and will be competing in the national Soap Box Derby races in Akron later this year.  Taylor said her sister would accompany her.

This is the 9th consecutive year for the classic event in Martinsburg, which has been sponsored by Roach Energy and ROCS Convenience Stores since it was revitalized in 2000.  The race was formerly called the Eastern Panhandle Soap Box Derby and was held in Martinsburg from 1936 to 1954, except during World War II.

“It’s a clean, healthy competition where kids not only learn manual skills involved in building, but also teamwork and cooperation,” said sponsor Steve Roach, CEO and co-owner of Roach Energy and ROCS convenience stores.  “We’re proud to sponsor this kind of get-involved activity for kids.”

Three ROCS convenience stores were honored this week by Berkeley County Schools for their participation in preparing special-education high school students for the world of employment.

Store managers Tracy Gladden of the Inwood Shell ROCS store, Kathy Domino-Wright of the Inwood Exxon ROCS store and Sabrina Foster of the Martinsburg Mountaineer Mart ROCS store received engraved appreciation plaques from the Berkeley County Work Exploration Program in a ceremony held Wednesday at the Martinsburg Holiday Inn.

“The Work Exploration Program is a wonderful way for students to get used to working in a real-life situation,” said Domino-Wright, who has posted her plaque on the store bulletin board.  “I wish I could move this display up by the front door, I’m so proud of it.”

More than 50 high school students are connected with 61 businesses throughout Berkeley County via the program, gaining a variety of job experiences.  Work Exploration Program coordinator Sallie Askin-Phalen said the youths build self-confidence and self determination as they approach the transition from school to work.  “It’s an extension of the classroom,” she said.  “The students take the skills they’ve learned in the classroom and learn how to translate those skills into work habits that will help keep them employed in the future.”

There are now 16 ROCS Convenience Stores in Berkeley County and Washington County, Maryland.  The stores are owned by Roach Energy, the Martinsburg petroleum marketer now marking its 57th year as an integral part of the community.

Diante Dawson, 6, 813 Royal Crest Dr., Martinsburg, was the lucky winner of a $50 U.S. Savings Bond at the annual Dinosaur Dazzle Kids Day, held Saturday at the Martinsburg Mall.  Diante attends kindergarten at Berkeley Heights Elementary School. 

The savings bond was the grand prize in a coloring contest sponsored by ROCS Convenience Stores.  All children entering won a free slice of pizza from the new Mama DeLuca’s Pizza restaurant in the new ROCS, 1100 Shepherdstown Road at the southeast edge of Martinsburg.

The contest required children to download a picture of Steve, the Roach Energy Dinosaur from the Roach Energy web site http://www.roachenergyrocs.com, color the picture and bring their masterpieces to the ROCS exhibit at the Kids Day event.  Over 600 entries were received.

Diante’s mother, Ms. Candy May, accepted the savings bond on behalf of her son.  “This is the first thing he’s ever won,” she said.  “Maybe we’ll use it to open a bank savings account, and teach him how to handle money.” 

Martinsburg residents will have a chance this weekend to help dig a fresh water well for a mosquito-infested township in Mozambique. 

“Or at least contribute to the effort,” said Steve Roach, co-owner and COO of Roach Energy and ROCS Convenience Stores.  “Every donation or bottle of Tumai Water purchased this weekend at the King Street BP station or the Moler Avenue ROCS location will go toward completing the fresh water well already started.”

The well in Mozambique is about half complete, and will require another $10,000 to $12,000 to finish.  Mozambique is on the southeast African coast.

This weekend’s relief effort combines the marketing power of Roach Energy and ROCS Convenience Stores with Tumai Water, a Martinsburg-based company that sells fresh spring water and donates a portion of sales to building fresh-water supplies in villages like the one in Mozambique. The name Tumai is Swahili, meaning “to hope for.”

“The next generation will one day look to us and ask ‘what did you do about it, as an individual…as a family…as a company…as a community…as a nation…as a world?’” asked Bob Downey, president of the Spero Group, which owns Tumai Water. “What will we tell them?”

The special Tumai Water and ROCS Convenience Store fundraising effort this weekend is part of World Water Day, established as March 22 by the United Nations to bring attention to the crisis faced around the world by the nearly 1.2 billion people that lack access to safe water.

Worldwide, a child dies every 20 seconds for lack of clean, fresh water.  On average, that’s 4,500 children a day, or 1,400,000 children a year.

From L-R, Felicia Kazmaier, store manager; geode donor Patrick Giguet and Jan Callen, executive director of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle. Behind them are the $1 T-shirts purchased by ROCs customers, nearly filling the store windows.”

The ROCS convenience store at 1619 West King Street in Martinsburg easily won this year’s Roach Energy intra-store competition for United Way of the Eastern Panhandle fall campaign, raising $1,389 from employees and customers. 
The total raised by the 15 ROCS convenience stores throughout the eastern panhandle was $2,315.  The Roach Energy contest started November 1 and ended in December.

“Especially this year, everybody feels the pain of the less fortunate,” said Felicia Kazmaier, manager of the West King Street ROCS.  “All of us in the store gave what we could, then our customers opened their hearts and added more.”

“Some were contributing $5 every day, even some of the guys who had just been laid off.”

The store offered symbolic paper T-shirts for a $1.00 donation, posting the autographed T-shirts in the store front windows.  Kazmaier said a surprising number of purchasers did not autograph the shirts, telling her that “the satisfaction of supporting people in our own community was all the thanks they needed.”

Other fundraising activities included a day with Roach Energy’s “Rocky Raccoon” greeting customers at the store entrance, and an employee and customer yard sale.  Among the yard sale item donors was local landscaper Patrick Giguet, who contributed several gem stones, including a geode valued at more than $200.

“Employee campaigns like Roach Energy’s are our lifeblood,” said Jan Callen, Executive Director of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle.  “They make up 60% of our donations.”  Callen added that the ROCS store employee efforts brought the campaign’s total to nearly $600,000, on the way to its goal of $893,500 by December 31, 2008.

The United Way of the Eastern Panhandle helps support nearly 60 non-profit community betterment groups, including many that directly work with the homeless, underprivileged or children.

Roach Energy was founded in Martinsburg in 1952 with one truck, a handful of customers and a commitment to customer satisfaction.  In addition to the 15 ROCS convenience stores throughout Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties, the company is the eastern panhandle’s leading provider of oil and propane for heating and appliance use.

On Saturday, December 13, the Roach Oil Company celebrated the grand opening of the 15th ROCS convenience store in the eastern panhandle, at 1100 Shepherdstown Road, just south of Martinsburg on Moler Avenue extended.

“Customers were in a festive mood all day,” said store manager Tanya McClung, shown posed by the large upright sign for the newest ROCS location.  “The customers who won one of the $100 gift cards for gasoline seemed particularly happy.” 

Dozens of slices of steaming hot pizza and numerous sandwich platters from the Mama DeLuca’s Pizza™ and the Subway™ quick-serve restaurants in the store were free to store customers from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Other prizes for the grand opening celebration included picnic coolers, shirts and an electric scooter donated by Royal Crown.  Officials from the West Virginia lottery gave away numerous lottery scratch-off tickets and merchandise. 

WLTF Lite 97-5 radio of Martinsburg broadcast live from the store starting at 10 AM, featuring WLTF program director Stacy Drake. For the last hour of the broadcast, store manager McClung lowered the price of gas by 10%.

As a public service, ROCS provided free coffee for anyone donating a non-perishable food item to help Berkley County’s less fortunate over the holiday season.  All food donations went to the Loaves and Fishes food bank in Martinsburg.

The new ROCS store is the second largest in the Roach Energy chain, and is stocked with road warrior essentials, such as snacks, hot coffee and cold drinks. Also stocked are household items often needed immediately, such as baby diapers and cold and cough medicines.  The new store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Roach Energy Company was founded in Martinsburg in 1952 with one truck, a handful of customers and a commitment to customer satisfaction.  In addition to the 15 ROCS convenience stores throughout Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties, the company is the leading provider of oil and propane for heating and appliance use in the eastern panhandle.

An entirely new Roach Energy website, sporting a fresh, colorful design and featuring numerous “customer-centric” tools, debuts Monday, January 19 on the World Wide Web.

The new site, http://www.roachenergyROCS.com, replaces a static version that had been in use since 2003. 

“We built this new Roach Energy site around our customers,” said Steve Roach, Co-Owner and Chief Operations Officer of R.M. Roach and Sons.  “This new site has the interactive features our customers told us they want.”

On the new site, convenient online forms make it easy to apply for service, set up an oil delivery schedule or pay via credit cards or other forms of online payment. 

Customers can save on a variety of products and services by electronically “clipping” rotating Roach discount coupons, hear testimonials from other happy customers, and locate the nearest ROCS convenience stores and Subway or Mama DeLuca Pizza Restaurants, either by address or with a custom-drawn map.  Throughout the 45-page web site are short paragraphs with expert advice on saving energy.

Other resources on the new site include education sections and FAQs on maintaining heating and cooling systems to ensure the best safety and energy efficiency.  In-depth answers and various energy calculators are available via links to Energy Star, Consumer Energy Council of America, U.S. Energy Information Agency, Energy Answers Today and Energy Assistance Programs.

The new site was built for Roach Energy by Firebrand Media of Martinsburg.

Roach Energy was founded in Martinsburg in 1952 by “Mickey” Roach with one truck, a handful of customers and a commitment to customer satisfaction.  Today, Roach Energy is the West Virginia panhandle’s leading supplier of propane and oil for home heating, and also offers furnace, boiler, heat pump and air conditioning installation and service.  In addition, the company owns and operates 15 Roach Oil Company (ROCS) Convenience Stores, providing motorists with competitively-priced gasoline and convenience stores.  Several of the ROCS convenience stores contain full Subway sandwich shops, Chicago Pizza or Mama DeLuca outlets.