Brian Crotty, President, OPIS (Oil Price Information Service), Gaithersburg, Md.
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
I had a creative writing degree and thought since I could write, I would be a journalist. My first job was at a newspaper called The Daily Record in Baltimore. Problem was, I couldn’t write journalistically—so that job didn’t go too well. After being aggressively edited for several months, I decided I needed to go to journalism school, so I did.
Has there been a defining moment in your career? Perhaps when you knew you were on the right road?
I can think of two. The first was in 1995, when I was named a VP at Phillips Publishing after having worked there for two years. They had some very good people there so I felt like I could compete with top publishers. The second was in 2002 when I went back to UCG as president of OPIS. My goal was to be a president of a company before I was 40—and I just made it. I was 39 and 3 months!
In brief, describe your business/company?
OPIS (Oil Price Information Service) is a UCG portfolio company that provides news, pricing, databases, software tools and educational conferences for the downstream oil industry. Our customers include traders, brokers, airlines, fleets, major oil companies, petroleum wholesalers and chemical companies. Our headquarters is in Gaithersburg, Md., and we have offices in Wall, N.J., Minneapolis and Singapore.
What are two or three important concepts or rules that have helped you to succeed in business?
I have a few posted on my wall in my office. Here are the top three:
1. Focus: “A man who chases two rabbits goes hungry.”
2. Take chances: “Fear robs you of the opportunity to be successful.”
3. Don’t blame the market: “You can’t control the wind but you can adjust the sails.”
What is the single-most successful thing that your company is doing now?
We are doing a good job focusing on delivering quality products that have high renewal rates, keeping a robust pipeline of new (renewable) product ideas, and imbedding our pricing and news products into the workflows of our customers (so they renew at high rates). I think there is a theme in there.
Do you see a trend or path that you have to lock onto as we look to 2012?
The evolution of mobile platforms (tablets and phones) is powerful and can’t be ignored. In the old days, content was king and there was a sense that if your content was good you could publish it on the back of a potato chip bag and people would read it. Now, packaging is very important. Readers have become users—they need to access their content in formats that allow them to use it when and where they need to. So content is still king and always will be, but a second-tier content provider with useable data in multiple platforms with easy-to-use formats has a much better chance of being competitive in today’s world. Mobility was a key topic at the SIPA annual meeting last June, and it is something we are working on aggressively at OPIS.
What are the key benefits of SIPA membership for you and your team?
The conferences provide huge value. I use them as a way to remind me of all the little things I should be doing but probably aren’t, as a training ground for my employees—especially my marketers—and for networking. I have also been using the new website more as there is a wealth of free information on topics ranging from email marketing to copyright law.
Where did you grow up?
In Jackson Heights, N.Y. That’s about 7 miles east of Manhattan in Queens.
What college did you attend? Is there a moment from that time that stands out?
Johns Hopkins University. The moment—getting cut from the varsity basketball team my junior year. I was on a basketball scholarship and had defined myself throughout high school and the first two years of college by being a successful athlete. That experience taught me sometimes things just don’t go your way, and that how you deal with disappointment defines you later on.
Are you married? Do you have children?
Married – no kids, no pets. But I have a great time spoiling my 11 nieces and nephews!
What is your favorite hobby and how did it develop in your life?
I have always been active in competitive sports—basketball, baseball, football, Tae Kwon Do. I think that helped me develop leadership skills, team-building and a competitive spirit.
Is there a book you recently read or movie you saw that you would recommend?
I recently read The Age of Speed by Vince Poscente, who after just four years of training for the 1992 Winter Olympics set the Canadian record for speed skiing at 135 miles per hour. This book talks about the value (and now the necessity) of leveraging speed to run successful businesses in this era of instant everything.
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With the early-bird deadline for the
Dec. 7-9 Marketing Conference in Miami
only 3 days away, Brian’s words ring loudly:
“The conferences provide huge value…as a
training ground for my employees—especially
my marketers—and for networking.”
(and it’s in Miami in December!)
Don’t delay any longer! Soon is now.
Get in on the savings!
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