Dear SIGMA Community,
Welcome to 2026 everyone! Remember how I said that this period of “quiet” and lack of major news developments in the fuel world wasn’t likely to last too long? Well, we weren’t even a week into the New Year when – lo and behold – our industry was gripped by the U.S. going into Venezuela and unseating their President. Now, the “playbook” that everyone thought would be dull and boring is anything but.
We’re facing a new era that will see repercussions in our markets as we deal with what everyone is starting to refer to as the “Venezuela Factor.”
In other words – buckle up and stay tuned!
I think that in prior communications with you, I mentioned my many years of working in the markets and reporting on news and price movements. Myself and all my colleagues realized one thing – flat, stable markets don’t last long. It’s the constant change and disruption in oil markets that made my job so interesting. It’s that same churn that makes SIGMA’s mission at this time even more crucial. Not only do we want to keep you aware of the news and how it impacts markets, but this is all likely to lead to policy changes as well. Between SIGMA’s education and our advocacy through our GR team, we are committed to keeping you – our members and our partners – in the know.
This is the kind of stuff that makes being CEO of this organization such a thrill. Changing with the industry and making sure you understand what’s going on.
To that end, there are so many wonderful initiatives that SIGMA has in store. First, let me tell you about our new “SIGMA Market Monday” series that launched in January. Every month – with a rotating list of market experts as guest hosts – we will do a 30-minute recap on the prior month, and what to expect for the coming month. For those of you who thrive on insightful looks into the trends that drive price and supply, you won’t want to miss this. And now - in light of all the global news that is dominating our industry - is the best time to launch this initiative.
I might have mentioned in the last column that SIGMA’s Annual Conference last November broke attendance records. We’re not resting on our laurels – we’re taking it up multiple notches with our 2026 slate of meetings. Our next big meeting is April 27 – 29 at the Ritz Carlton in Las Colinas, TX, right outside Dallas. We will have a number of exciting speakers who will talk about things like the “penny crisis” that is gripping retailers; RD and what is the latest in benchmarking purchases; the summer outlook for gasoline, and finally our keynote speaker, Michael Robinson who is an expert on handling crisis management within businesses like ours.
And much more.
Thank you again, Happy New Year and see you (hopefully) at Spring!
Scott BerhangCEO, SIGMA
