Ben Franger, vice president of Franger Gas Co. Inc.

When it comes to innovation, Ben Franger might not seem like the obvious choice. A third generation “son of the boss,” Franger began his work with Indiana-based Franger Gas Co. Inc. washing and painting trucks, filling cylinders and mowing the lawn. After college, Franger didn’t immediately return to his family company, instead working in environmental consulting and logistics. He stepped back into the business 19 years ago as his father began succession planning.

In returning to the family business, Franger came in with eyes on the innovative expansion of products and services, knowing the propane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry has long been tied to the weather.

“Three years in a row, we’ve had very warm winters,” Franger said. “When I started, we had some months in the summertime where it was very difficult to make any money, but we wanted to keep all of our drivers.”

That need and desire to keep employees led Franger Gas to diversify offerings, from small residential tanks to large tanks up to 90,000 gallons. In 2014, the company partnered with a supplier to build the Mentone Propane Rail Terminal, and in 2015, merged with AllPro Gas of Goshen, Indiana, expanding their service and portfolio of offerings. The company also installs and services HVAC equipment.

In his growth efforts, Franger has focused heavily on the safety of those filling tanks and those using the gas at home. And for Franger, that means educating lawmakers about how people use the gas every day.

“The state of Indiana is a little lax on the propane rules and regulations,” Franger said. “We spent a lot of time down in Indianapolis with the fire marshal’s office and the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for our permits here, explaining what’s going on in our industry and how [Indiana farmers do] a lot of things that are very unsafe for the industry.”

In addition to advocating for more stringent regulations, Franger and his team have trained building inspectors on how to evaluate propane tanks and offered hazmat and live burn training for local fire departments.

“We build little facilities so fire departments can light off an old car or a trash fire that we start with propane,” he said.

Franger said innovation is important for the industry and Franger Gas because “if you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

He points to natural gas and electrification efforts as major obstacles for the future of propane and LPG. On the natural gas side, he hopes to see more federal involvement that would “level the playing field” between the two, he said. He also said propane marketers need to lean into the mom-and-pop aspect of the industry to help grow and retain customers.

“The industry doesn’t stress this enough, but we are all Hank Hill,” he said. “Our customers want to know who their gas guy is and that they are going to be taken care of, not just a number at a call center.”