Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 we join other community leaders as sponsors of the Heroes Breakfast at the Wichita Marriott Hotel. Breakfast begins at 7:30 followed by the awards presentation. Ten local heroes including two life-saving firemen and the staff sergeant in charge of the Airmen Ministry Program at McConnell Air Force Base will share their stories. The program will be wrapped up by 9 a.m.

Proceeds from the breakfast go directly to help support the American Red Cross Midway-Kansas Chapter’s programs and services providing disaster relief and emergency preparedness locally.

As one of this year’s sponsors, Universal Lubricants would love to see you there.

Tickets are available at http://wichitaheroesbreakfast2011.eventbrite.com/.

So, what happened in Vegas? Attendees at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas were introduced to re-refined ECO ULTRA® Motor Oil from Universal Lubricants®.

For the brand’s AAPEX debut, ten company representatives from across the US attended the three-day show, including the company’s chief executive officer, John Wesley. “AAPEX brought together 106,000 automotive aftercare professionals and 51,000 qualified buyers from more than 140 countries,” Wesley says. “With such a vibrant and dynamic audience in attendance, it was a great opportunity for us to exhibit the benefits that re-refined motor oil offers.”

Making a big splash in the B2B oil market is tough. But the ECO UTLRA team garnered significant buzz with the help of an eco-innovation, performance-driven message and seven “brand ambassadors.” Decked out in ECO ULTRA-emblazoned gear, the team canvassed the 438,000-square-foot Sands Expo Center, invited guests to visit the booth, and created excitement and awareness about the new brand — including mentions in the AAPEX Flickr photo stream and the show’s daily.

To further focus attention on ECO ULTRA’s premium performance blend, Universal Lubricants awarded premium performance-themed prizes. Two lucky registered visitors to the ECO ULTRA booth each received a Richard Petty “Experience of a Lifetime” driving package.

For information about how Universal Lubricants is driving eco innovation, contact Peter Fox, Vice President of Marketing and Retail Sales, at 1.800.444.OILS (6457).

As we race toward a cleaner, healthier future, ECO ULTRA® and Universal Lubricants want to give two lucky AAPEX attendees the opportunity to do a little racing of their own. Two winners will each receive one Richard Petty “Experience of a Lifetime” driving package.

The contest is open to AAPEX attendees only, so if you’re planning to be at the show, you need to register at the ECO ULTRA booth.

Visit with our re-refining experts and discover the excitement our company is creating within the recycled motor oil business … and enter for a chance to win a serious dose of excitement of your own!

To address this misperception that there is no way recycled motor oil can be as good for your car as crude oil, we asked John Wesley, chief executive officer of Universal Lubricants to share his expertise.

Some people suspect that if recycled motor oil helps the environment, it must be to the detriment of their car engines. However, re-refined motor oils, such as ECO ULTRA, meet and exceed the toughest standards for performance and engine protection. The American Petroleum Institute holds recycled motor oil to the same standards as the major motor oil brands that are made from virgin crude oil. That’s not just talk, that’s proven performance. ECO UTLRA is an API-certified motor oil. It also has one of the highest percentages of recycled oil content and meets Society of Automotive Engineers requirements and current vehicle manufacturers’ specifications. Look for the API certification and the SAE specifications on every label.

What’s more, the U.S. Department of Defense and many other federal agencies have trusted re-refined motor oil for more than 20 years. If U.S. military vehicles operating in the most adverse conditions rely on recycled motor oil to ensure optimal performance, I think it’s safe to say this myth is officially, debunked.

The truth, plain and simple, is that recycled motor oil such as ECO ULTRA epitomizes choice without compromise. It’s a prime example of what’s possible when human ingenuity fuses with a commitment to environmental stewardship. Turning a petroleum-based product into a veritable renewable resource is no easy feat, but it’s been done. Now it’s up to all of us, each and every driver in America, to take the technology and build the green motor oil revolution.

Chief executive officer of Universal Lubricants, John Wesley, offers some insight into a perplexing situation.

I want to take a look at the attitude so many drivers seem to have, that driving is irreconcilable with environmental sensitivity. In reality we can each do our part to lessen the environmental impact made by our cars. We can all condense trips, coordinate carpools and maintain appropriate tire pressure. But of course each of us can make a big difference just by switching to recycled motor oil. Making a deliberate decision to use recycled motor oil like Universal Lubricants’ ECO ULTRA is a small but strong step each of us can take for the environment.

When compared to motor oil made from crude, re-refined alternatives such as ECO ULTRA use 89 percent less energy and emit 69 percent less greenhouse gases during production. Additionally, as Universal Lubricants employs a “closed-loop” process in which it collects, re-refines, blends, packages and redistributes its own oil—never losing guardianship within the chain—the company completes a sustainable cycle eliminating the possibility of improper disposal. And that’s a big deal, considering one gallon of motor oil can contaminate up to one million gallons of water.

By making a few smart choices, car owners can feel good about doing the right thing for the environment and actively safeguard the ecosystems they drive through every day.

Getting drivers to switch brands is a challenge. To address this, we asked John Wesley, chief executive officer of Universal Lubricants to offer his ideas.

Having been in this business for quite some time, I’d like to hit the brakes and reflect on how far we’ve come with recycled motor oil.

Universal Lubricants is truly a leader in this industry. Our research and development team has honed the expertise to produce top-quality re-refined motor oil – quality that was unimaginable only a few years ago. However, all of our advances will be of little consequence if car owners aren’t purchasing and using re-refined motor oil.

A big roadblock to using re-refined motor oil is a mental roadblock. Many people believe if a commodity has been used once, it must be used up. Absolutely not! As a product, motor oil is 85 percent oil and 15 percent additives (detergent, anti-foaming stabilizers, etc.) and it is the latter 15 percent, which breaks down, necessitating oil changes. Since the oil molecules retain their chemical composition, with the right technologies and expertise, spent motor oil only needs to be cleaned (removing contaminants and the used-up additives) and re-refined into American Petroleum Institute’s-certified base oil, before being infused with a totally new state-of-the-art additive package. This process transforms what many think of as a waste into a top-grade product. And most impressively, this cycle is infinitely repeatable, making it the most sustainable car-care practice in existence today.

Turning a petroleum-based product into a veritable renewable resource is no easy feat, but it’s been done with ECO ULTRA. Universal Lubricants’ brand of re-refined motor oil offers the best in engine protection while boosting environmental, social and economic benefits. Now it’s up to every driver in America to change his or her misperceptions about re-refined oil and begin what is becoming the green motor oil revolution.

When this question came up, we asked Ed Genovese, Senior Vice President of Universal Lubricants’ Environmental Services division, to answer it.

We collect used oil from Green Bay, Wis. to Houston, Texas and transport it for re-refining in Wichita, Kan. We collect more than 30 million gallons of used oil annually across 10 states.

It’s collected from local auto dealers, quick oil-change retailers like Jiffy Lube, auto parts stores and mom-and-pop repair shops. And for the do-it-yourselfers, most Wal-Marts participate in a drop-off program. It’s even collected from community organizations that support household hazardous-waste collection.

We are a reverse logistics operation. Instead of making deliveries, we pull used oil from these businesses. We provide a valuable service. Environmentally speaking, it’s a good thing to do. But we’re also helping these businesses comply with federal EPA regulations as well as state regulations.

Our asset-utilization rates are very high. We fill our trucks every day, usually picking up from collection sites on a monthly basis, depending on their quantities. Our bulk collection trucks, which hold up to 4,000 gallons, transport the used oil to our 20 branch locations. From these locations we transport the oil to Wichita by rail in 25,000-gallon rail tankers. Wichita is where our re-refinery is located.

We’re very proud of our customer-retention rates. We maintain very high standards of customer care, so there’s not a lot of customer turnover. And that keeps it profitable for us. We have sales people that sell this service to businesses across the Midwest, but our business really grows by referral. Our customer care resonates with business owners and operators and they spread the word for us.

When this question came up, we pulled in Universal Lubricants’ expert formulator Mike Wyant, Technical Services Manager, to answer it.

The surprising thing about ECO ULTRA that a lot of people don’t understand, is that it’s exactly like motor oil made from virgin crude. Chemically they are almost identical, they perform identically and they are both held to the same high standards.  Of course, there is one big difference. Instead of starting with a base of non-renewable virgin crude oil, ECO ULTRA’s base is reclaimed, recycled, re-refined oil.

Whether a manufacturer starts with virgin crude oil or re-refined oil as the base oil, the process to make motor oil is the same. Base oil must be blended with additional ingredients – additives, detergents and anti-foam – to become motor oil. The additives are what make base oil into usable motor oil.

After our re-refined oil has been blended with all the necessary additives to make ECO ULTRA, the American Petroleum Institute, the trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, licenses it – like they do all motor oil – within the parameters of the current licensing categories. Since ECO ULTRA meets these parameters, it is licensed as API SN.

API licensing also ensures that ECO ULTRA re-refined oil meets the same performance standards as crude-base motor oil in terms of cold-start ability, rust-corrosion control, engine wear and high-temperature viscosity. ECO ULTRA consistently meets all standardized testing developed for all high quality motor oil. Based on performance, there is literally no difference between crude-base motor oil and ECO ULTRA.

The simple answer is, “Yes.”

Here at ECO ULTRA we’re excited about the global impact our re-refinery can make. But it’s just as exciting for us to grab a quart of ECO ULTRA, take it to our garage and know even just one “eco-friendly” oil change makes a difference.

Okay, a few quick facts you need to know — producing ECO ULTRA uses 89% less energy and the process emits 69% less greenhouse gases than motor oil made from crude. So by using ECO ULTRA, you’re driving demand for responsible, eco-friendly motor oil production.

The best part? By using a recycled oil product (that also happens to be high-quality, certified by API), you’re reducing demand for virgin crude, helping to decrease our use of non-renewable energy sources.

Now — one more thing to consider. How does your garage/dealer/mechanic dispose of the oil drained from your engine? Always ask. If it’s not recycled or disposed of properly, oil from just one oil change for a single car can contaminate 1 million gallons of water.

Here at ECO ULTRA we’re working to make a difference in our world and each and every oil change can be a step forward. Thanks for asking.