Charleston, WV (May 30, 2017) – The West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association (OMEGA) is heartbroken to announce the death of Jan Vineyard, the organization’s long-serving president, on Tuesday, May 30 from complications with a recent illness.
Vineyard, a lifelong West Virginian who was raised in Nitro, was incredibly passionate about the industries she represented and the people that worked in them. She was a leader in West Virginia’s business community and a respected lobbyist known to all who held political office over the past nearly three decades. She was an advocate for children suffering from disease and crisis in the family, having led fundraising efforts over the past fifteen years raising nearly $3 million for a variety of state organizations.
“It is unthinkable that Jan is no longer with us and it is an understatement to say she will be greatly missed by so many of her family members, friends and colleagues,” said Joe DeFazio, chairman of the OMEGA board of directors. “On behalf of the Boards of Directors of OMEGA, the West Virginia Trucking Association, the West Virginia Wholesalers Association and the Independent Insurance Agents of West Virginia, we extend our thoughts and prayers to Jan’s husband Gary, her son Craig, and her entire family.”
Jan began her career with Ashland Oil following graduation from Marshall University. It was during this time that she learned the gasoline and petroleum products industry.
In 1993, she was hired to manage the West Virginia Petroleum Marketers Association and the West Virginia Association of Convenience Stores. Three years later, Jan led the merger of these two groups to create the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association, Inc.
Through Jan’s leadership and entrepreneurial spirit, OMEGA entered into a joint venture with the West Virginia Trucking Association in 2006 to manage the organization. In 2013 and 2014, respectively, OMEGA entered joint ventures with the West Virginia Wholesaler’s Association and the Independent Insurance Agents of WV, Inc. to manage those organizations, as well.
For additional information, contact Bryan Brown at (304) 546-5500.
