About Thomas E. Kelso

After a successful seventeen-year career co-founding and operating Ocean Petroleum Co., Inc., a petroleum distributorship, Mr. Kelso joined Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. in 1997 and created the firm’s Downstream Energy and Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group which is the national leader in providing investment banking services to companies in the petroleum marketing and convenience store industries.  During his career, Mr. Kelso managed scores of petroleum distribution and c-store transactions and has been a frequent speaker at various industry trade group meetings discussing topics related to capital formation and mergers and acquisitions.

He served as Group Head until he became President of the firm in 2017.  As President, Mr. Kelso focused on the continued growth of Matrix through the addition of new industry verticals and management of the firm, while also continuing to assist on downstream energy and convenience store transactions, mentoring young professionals and developing a marketing strategy to further drive the growth of the firm. In addition, Mr. Kelso served as Head of Matrix’s Corporate Recovery and Special Situations Groups where he led the firm’s efforts in more than fifteen bankruptcy cases.

Mr. Kelso retired from Matrix at the end of 2022.  He continues to hold Series 79, 63, 24 and 99 FINRA securities licenses.

In addition to his past role at Matrix, he is Chairman of the Kelso Bishop Family Foundation, and he also serves as Chairman of An America United, Inc. and Change Maryland, Inc. that are social welfare organizations created to advance the bipartisan message of Governor Larry Hogan nationally and in Maryland.  Previously, Mr. Kelso was Chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, Chairman of the Hogan Rutherford Re-election Campaign, Chairman of both of Governor Hogan’s inaugural committees, Vice Chairman of the Foundation for the Preservation of Government House Maryland, Chairman of the Maryland Public Policy Institute and Director and Chairman of the John Carroll School.

Mr. Kelso attended the University of Baltimore and The Johns Hopkins University where he majored in accounting.  While enrolled in John Hopkins, he served as Business Manager of the Evening College and Summer Session.  Mr. Kelso left Johns Hopkins to co-found Ocean Petroleum Co. in 1976.

Mr. Kelso and his wife, Dori, reside in Phoenix, Maryland.

The agenda will include the following:

• Motor oil 101. (Simple explanation on viscosity. Differences between conventional, syn blend, full synthetic.)
• Benefits of High Mileage oils
• Future trends – (0W08? Is there a 0W04? EV fluids – what products should shop owners consider. Castrol’s position in the EV market.)

• 32 years with Castrol – all in Technology Team
• Began career in laboratory working on polymer research, viscosity modifier and dispersant VM development
• Moved to Product Development team – primary role was creating formulations internally and with additive companies to obtain industry and OEM approvals and technical claims for GTX and EDGE product lines.
• Current role in Technology Deployment focuses on technical communication of benefits of Castrol PCO products

The agenda will include the following:

• Strategies for expanding alternative fuels at fueling stations, convenience stores and repair shops in Maryland & available funding.

About Antoine Thompson

Topic: Strategies for expanding alternative fuels at Fueling stations , convenience stores and repair shops

Antoine M. Thompson is a nationally recognized leader for environmental justice, green
business, housing, diversity, and urban policy. He earned dual bachelors’ degrees in
History and African & Afro-American Studies from SUNY Brockport and is the Executive
Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCC), a public private partnership that promotes the use of clean, American transportation fuels for
homeland security, improved air quality, environment justice, diversity, and inclusion.
Antoine is the former Executive Director of the National Association of Real Estate
Brokers (NAREB) the oldest organization of African American real estate professionals in
the United States. He led efforts to increase advocacy on Capitol Hill on closing the
racial wealth gap through increasing the rate of Black homeownership.
Antoine was elected to the New York State Senate in 2006 and 2008 and served as the
Senate Deputy Majority Whip and the first African American to Chair the Senate
Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation and Co-Chair of the Senate
Minority and Woman Business Enterprise Task Force.
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The agenda will include the following:

Topic: Get Your MVP and Find Your Culture Champions

· “In these difficult times to find and keep the technical skills our shops need, one often overlooked weapon we have in our arsenal as leaders is leveraging leadership.

· When applied purposefully, leadership can single-handedly transform our business to become the vehicle to take each one of our team members to their goals, ourselves included.

· These days, there is a lot of talk about mission, vision, purpose, and values. And after this important step, you will need to ensure you have the staying power and ability to make sure all your team members have adopted this. That’s where your culture champions come in.

· This session is about illustrating how we have successfully achieved this at our shop, and how we would like to share this great success with other leaders in our industry.