The truth is the fuel and petrochemical industries haven’t traditionally been great at communicating the positive impacts of their work. Not only that, but these industries also sometimes neglect to emphasize their significance to our modern lifestyles. As a result, others have told their versions of stories — not all of them the most accurate or positive. In fact, nearly all the media coverage of these industries in 2016 was negative.
The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) — the trade association representing virtually all U.S. refining and petrochemical manufacturing capacity — saw an urgent need to right the course, starting by equipping industry employees with the tools to share the positive stories coming out of these industries.
Chet Thompson
“Industry employees are the most authentic and powerful messengers for our industries, and they are extremely proud of what they do,” said AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson. “But they have told us that they don’t always feel equipped or empowered to advocate on behalf of the industry. We have to change that dynamic.”
To address this need, and with the input of nearly 1,000 industry employees, AFPM created EMpower, a program that provides industry employees with the resources, tools and training to help them share information with their communities about these industries and why they matter.
The program offers industry employees talking points, infographics, videos and other information resources that are easily customized and shared. It also offers a half-day program to help them become better at telling the story of their work, company and the industry.
“We want to create a better understanding, community by community, about what we do, how we do it safely, and why our industries are integral to the way we lead our lives now and well into the future,” Thompson stated.
In 2019, AFPM will add more information on industry issues and showcase the value of the fuel and petrochemical industries. Eventually, AFPM hopes to activate the workforce on specific issues.
“We have a big hill to climb in terms of changing the narrative of our industries,” Thompson said. “We already have signs of early progress, but we need the voices of employees if we are going to truly educate the public on what we do. The employees we worked with to design the program told us exactly what they needed to be effective: factual information on things like economic contributions and environmental performance; approved, sharable information on why our industries are so important; and guidance on how to have constructive conversations, especially with people who may not understand or agree.”
On the EMpower website, industry employees can find talking points about the most common questions they’re asked, approved and sharable infographics and videos, and information on how to have constructive conversations about the industries they work in. Topics range from gas prices to safety, jobs, environmental impact and information on the products people can’t live without.
“This program unites employees from different companies in different states across the country,” Thompson said. “They may work for competing companies or have different work priorities, but there is one thing all employees can unite on and that is the importance of speaking openly about the work we do and the impact it has on the lives of every single American every day.”
For more information, visit http:// empower.afpm.org or contact AFPM at empower@afpm.org.
