EPIC Fuels Expanding Its Network and Boosting Brand Awareness in 2016

More FBO Locations, growth in EPIC Card Acceptance, new product lines, new sponsorships, and greater investment in technology


ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - November 01, 2016) - EPIC Fuels, a leading fuel supplier in ground and aviation fuels to general aviation, corporate aviation, commercial aviation, government and military customers, announced major expansions to its EPIC FBO Network®, its EPIC Card® acceptance locations, product offerings, and improved overall brand awareness.

Major Network Expansion

EPIC has added multiple FBOs to its ever-expanding FBO network. A few examples of the most recent locations coming online in 2016 include:

  • (CFD) City of Bryan—located at Coulter Airfield in Bryan, Texas. The FBO offers many amenities such as a pilot's lounge and conference room, flight planning area, and multiple hangars with a terminal. Full-service ramp and lines service is available as well 24-hour self-service 100LL and Jet A. Additionally, Coulter serves as the hub for PHI Air Medical helicopter service and is the host location of the Texas Flying Club.
  • (HWD) Meridian Aviation Inc.—located at Hayward Executive Airport in Hayward, California. Meridian Hayward is a recently opened FBO that serves as the West Coast base for Meridian Air Charter and Meridian Aircraft Management. The first phase of this project features a 6,300-square-foot FBO terminal and offices, a 30,000-square-foot hangar, and a 3.5-acre ramp.
  • (GEU) Glendale Aero—located at Glendale Municipal Airport in Glendale, Arizona. Glendale Aero Services is an Authorized Service Center for both Cessna and Cirrus aircraft. It is also a subsidiary of Copperstate Turbine Engine Company and an affiliate of Executive Aircraft Maintenance in Scottsdale, Arizona. The FBO includes a large pilot lounge, planning room and ample parking and ramp space in addition to line and concierge services.
  • (OLS) Tiffin Aviation Services—located at Nogales International Airport in Nogales, Arizona. Tiffin Aviation Services is a full-service FBO that offers a host of services including aircraft fueling, aircraft parking (ramp or tie-down), hanger leasing, GPU and power cart and a passenger terminal and lounge. In addition to its FBO offerings, Tiffin is a certified FAR Part 141 pilot school that offers flight training, aircraft rentals and aerial tours.
  • (VCT) County of Victoria—located at Victoria Regional Airport in Victoria, Texas. The full-service FBO features excellent customer service and covers 1,766 acres including two runways and one helipad. The FBO is primarily used for general aviation and connects people to the Austin and Houston International Airports.
  • (YKF) Chartright Air Inc.—located at Waterloo Regional International Airport in Waterloo, Ontario. In addition to FBO services, Waterloo offers features such as private jet rental, aircraft and private jet charters, aircraft management, short and long hangar rental, and aircraft maintenance services. Chartright also features a 50,000+ square foot hangar and a private departure lounge.

EPIC Card Acceptance Continues to Grow

In addition to its ongoing growth of its FBO network, EPIC has drastically expanded acceptance of the EPIC Card. FBOs in and out of network recognize the benefit of accepting the EPIC Card. New FBOs in 2016 include the following:

  • (ACT) Waco Flying Service at Waco Regional Airport, Waco, TX
  • (BLM) Monmouth Jet Center LLC at Monmouth Executive Airport, Wall Township, NJ
  • (CFD) City of Bryan at Coulter Airfield, Bryan, TX
  • (FTW) American Aero FTW at Meacham International Airport, Fort Worth, TX
  • (GEU) Glendale Aero at Glendale Municipal Airport, Glendale, AZ
  • (HWD) Meridian Aviation Inc. at Hayward Executive Airport, Hayward, CA
  • (I66) MacAir Aviation at Clinton Field Airport, Wilmington, OH
  • (MSO) N Star Jet at Missoula International Airport, Missoula, MT
  • (OLS) Tiffin Aviation Services at Nogales International Airport, Nogales, AZ
  • (PDK) Epps Air Services at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Atlanta, GA
  • (SPI) Stellar Aviation LLC at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Springfield, IL
  • (VCT) County of Victoria at Victoria Regional Airport, Victoria, TX
  • (YKF) Chartright Air Inc. at Waterloo Regional International Airport, Waterloo, Ontario

EPIC Cardholders not only qualify for preferred fuel pricing, but also get ancillary services with no additional fees and can earn additional Bravo℠ Rewards points with every EPIC Card fuel purchase at participating FBOs. Cardholders have access to the EPIC app as well as EPICCardServices.com to check fuel pricing. Also, cardholders can receive weekly fuel pricing reports, or work with EPIC to setup scheduling software importing with BART, FOS, PFM or FuelerLinx. The EPIC Secure Pay™ feature also allows customers to review, approve, and pay invoices online.

From the Ground Up—New Products Released

EPIC Fuels is now offering ground fuels, a new product line for the company. EPIC believes the new product line will provide one-stop shopping for its customers at very competitive pricing.

New offerings include blended gasohol, reformulated gasoline (RFG), both summer and winter blends of Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) gasoline and clear/conventional gasoline. Premium/winterized diesel blends and on and off road ultra-low sulfur diesel are also offered.

Major Sponsorships Expand and Promote the new EPIC Fuels Brand

Powered Red Bull Air Races-Indianapolis and Las Vegas

The Red Bull Air Race World Championship finished up in the United States this year at Indianapolis and Las Vegas, where EPIC Fuels became a sponsor by providing fuel and fueling equipment for the race aircraft and helicopters at the events.

"We were very pleased to have EPIC Fuels on board as our official fuel supplier for the final two rounds of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Their commitment to safety, quality and technical expertise is outstanding and they provided the power for our first-ever touch down at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and for the Championship showdown in Las Vegas," said Erich Wolf, General Manager, Red Bull Air Race.

This partnership showcased EPIC Fuels as a trusted leader in aviation fueling with excellent safety records, high quality customer service, and technical expertise in the industry.

Sponsored Competitive Air Race Pilot Anthony Oshinuga

This past year EPIC Fuels sponsored Anthony Oshinuga, a competitive and aerobatic air race pilot, as he competed in the Reno Air Races in Reno, NV, and the U.S. National Aerobatic Competition in Sherman, TX. Anthony secured a second place finish in Reno.

Anthony is based out of The Jet Center, an EPIC Fuels FBO, at French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California. He travels year-round to FBOs across the country for training and competitions. EPIC is proud of Anthony's promotion of the EPIC brand and believes he embodies the values upon which EPIC was founded on over 75 years ago.

Fueled Around the World Attempt by Saki Chen

EPIC Fuels sponsored Saki Chen, a pilot flying for the Cleveland-based T&G Flying Club with the goal to be the first Chinese woman to circumnavigate the globe. The Cleveland Jet Center is an EPIC Fuels and UVair FBO Network location at Cuyahoga Country Airport and it served as the takeoff point on August 1 for the two-month voyage.

Stops on the trip included various cities in the U.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, India, Thailand, China, Japan, and Russia. The team successfully completed the historic around the world journey when it returned home to Cleveland, Ohio, on September 27.

EPIC's sponsorship of Saki and her team helped accomplish a historic goal, and build awareness for women in aviation around the world.

New Name/New URL:

In 2016, EPIC evolved its branding by updating its logo to include Fuels in its name to more accurately represent the product lines the company offers. The company also shortened and updated its URL to www.EPICFuels.com. A new web site with enhanced customer service features and expanded content featuring EPIC FBOs is planned for release later this year.

Growing Expertise in Sustainable Fuel and Continued Investment in Technology

Assisted in Alaska Airlines and Gevo's Efforts to Use Biofuels

EPIC Fuels provided expertise in fuel blending as well as technical and logistical support to Alaska and Gevo, Inc., a next generation biofuels company, to enable the first-ever commercial flights using a unique blend of petroleum based fuel and Gevo's alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ).

Alaska Airlines selected EPIC Fuels given its extensive experience in renewable fuel operations. EPIC provided transportation, logistic support, aircraft refueling equipment, on-site quality control at both the Gevo facility and Alaska Airlines fuel operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, along with support in the blending and testing process.

EPIC Fuels has been playing an ever-increasing role in growing acceptance of sustainable biofuels and biofuel blends used in jet aviation. Through this and other similar programs, the company has gained unique experience and insight of how biofuels interact with fossil jet fuels. The company has amassed significant experience in these projects including blending data, logistics, transportation and the rigorous testing required to ensure the fuels meet or exceed industry safety standards.

Introduced EPIC FuelTrax™

Using the KeepTrax® patented technology, EPIC has created EPIC FuelTrax™, a cloud-based fuel transportation tracking solution. FuelTrax™ enables fuel customers, including fixed-based operations (FBOs) to monitor and track incoming fuel loads, thereby increasing efficiency of line and ramp staff. EPIC FuelTrax™ can also be used for aerial firefighting and other remote fueling operations by providing vital updates to crews in remote or mobile fueling locations.

Bill of lading, certificate of analysis, along with other important shipping documents are captured digitally while the fuel is being loaded onto the transport truck. Documents are then sent to EPIC and the customer prior to the carrier departing. This feature enables greater order accuracy and quality assurance by providing real-time validation for the order. Beta testing will continue through the end of the year, and the EPIC FuelTrax app is expected to be widely available in early 2017.

Fueling Our Armed Forces

EPIC's DLA group, led by Col. Steven Kephart (ret.), continues to add Defense Logistics Agency Energy contracts throughout the United States. In conjunction with FBO partners, EPIC bid and was awarded numerous DLA contracts to supply jet fuel, avgas and ground fuels across North America.

Key wins have included providing jet fuel in support of the development and testing of the U.S. Air Force's KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling/mobility platform as well as securing EPIC's first ever military ground fuels supply at various locations.

About EPIC

EPIC Fuels is a global supplier of fuels and services to FBOs, commercial airlines, airports, ground fueling operators, the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and other government agencies around the world. Our largest customers include Fortune 500 flight departments, top-tier FBOs, major airlines, charter and cargo operators as well as all branches of the U.S. military. In addition, we offer the EPIC Card, an aviation fuel card for retail or contract fuel purchases and ancillary services. The EPIC Card is accepted both in and out of network, at over 8,000 locations worldwide. For more information, please visit us online at www.EPICFuels.com.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/31/11G120099/Images/AARefuelers-280d1ceed66185b58d2bba28a7c8e43f.jpg

Contact Information:

Contact:
Ryan Mikolasik at EPIC Fuels
Email: marketing@epicfuels.com

EPIC Fuels, the official fuel sponsor at the Red Bull Air Races in Indianapolis and Las Vegas for 2016, has its refuelers ready to roll at new EPIC Fuels branded locations across the U.S.