8 Business-Building Tools and Tips from the PERC Conference

Ideas and projects to increase the use of propane appeared throughout the agenda at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) Meeting held April 2019 in Atlanta. Speakers suggested a number of ways the council and all members of the industry can contribute to growing the use of propane.

The industry’s employees need to know how to explain the benefits of propane to customers and convey the fact that this is clean energy. In the chief executive officer’s report, delivered from a remote location, PERC president and CEO Tucker Perkins said efforts in public relations and thought leadership are important.

“You will see us push this story in social media and have others tell the story for us,” Perkins said.

He later told BPN, “The entire population of employees need to know what propane is: a clean fuel, a fuel of the future, and a fuel of today. We are going to provide them with messages that resonate with customers about the efficient, direct use of propane in modern appliances, and how that serves the environment and the customer with a low-carbon, sustainable solution. Those messages are for our entire industry, to be used where appropriate, whether that is the customer location, the Little League field, schools boards, or Rotary Club.”

Each PERC regional meeting has been better than the previous one, Perkins said. These meetings facilitate information exchange, he explained. “For example, we learn what PERC materials they are using and not using.” He added that there is a culture shift going on at PERC. The organization will be bringing in new people and projects to meet the strategic plan, will completely change the safety and training programs, and will continue to improve its website and its marketing materials.

PERC has doubled incentives for reconstruction in disaster areas, Perkins said. The goal is to rebuild the propane infrastructure in areas that have been hit by disasters such as fires, hurricanes, and floods.

PERC’s past investments in product development have contributed about 450 million gallons through this year, said Cinch Munson, senior vice president, business development. Those who receive funds must report unit sales of the resulting products, and then PERC calculates the number of gallons contributed from the products sold, he explained. In the business development update portion of the conference, Munson reported that PERC’s current investments are made with an eye to “weatherproofing our portfolio” by developing products that create year-round demand. He added that in 2018, PERC business development had 318 different “points of engagement,” promoting the industry at trade shows, sales channel meetings, and similar events.

Discussing the current status of the VW settlement, Munson said 47 states and the District of Columbia have plans in place for spending the settlement funds. Propane is not eligible in nine states and D.C. In those areas, he said, “Those states tend to be focused on electric vehicles.” A member of the audience said clean diesel is winning the day and asked why that is. Munson answered, many state agency personnel don’t understand the total cost of ownership. Propane has a higher upfront cost than diesel, but requires less maintenance and has a lower total cost of ownership, he explained. PERC’s strategy regarding VW settlement funds is to educate program administrators and coordinate state associations, vehicle dealers, propane marketers, and others to improve participation. “We need to be engaged with this,” Munson concluded. “At this point, it takes boots on the ground, getting applications in and materials in the hands of administrators.”

: The new PERC website (propane.com) drew nearly 400,000 visitors since its launch and the homeowner-focused YouTube video garnered 5.54 million views between January 14 and April 11 (the day before the conference), Tina Wilson, senior vice president, communications, reported. In the communications report, she noted that this new “one-stop shop for everything propane,” is designed to deliver a distinct message for each market while sharing the common theme, “Propane Can Do That.” One purpose of the site is to drive engagement and then adoption of propane. The new website also includes valuable resources to marketers including Propane Can Do That campaign materials and creative assets. “We invite everyone to visit propane.com and learn all of the many ways propane can work for you. You will learn how propane is cleaner, affordable, versatile, reliable, safe, and plays an important part of America’s energy mix,” concluded Wilson.

There is an abundance of propane being produced in this country, but more is being exported than is being consumed domestically. “That’s a shame,” said Randy Thompson, founder and senior advisor at ThompsonGas LLC, and chairman elect of the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA). “We must find new ways to use our product and grow the industry by growing gallons.” In the NPGA report segment of the conference, Thompson referred to his previously announced goal of growing the industry by four billion gallons in the next five years. “Opportunities abound,” he said. Examples include replacing residential electric water heaters; supplying military bases; expanding the use of autogas, especially in school buses; and developing new technology to supply power generation off the grid that is primary power, not backup. “Our industry was built one appliance at a time, one customer at a time,” he said. “This goal is ambitious but achievable. It’s an exciting time to be part of this industry!”

The industry must also shore up the share of the energy market it already has by resisting electrification and the Green New Deal, Thompson explained. To do this, the industry must promote to a wider audience the fact that propane is green and clean. Many Americans are not aware of this, but, being pragmatic, they will respond to a message that is pragmatic. “This is a message of optimism and opportunity rather than gloom and doom,” Thompson said. “We represent the bedrock of America—thousands of small businesses, vibrant in the community. We have compelling stories to tell; we just need the will to deliver the message.” —Steve Relyea