Chris Earhart Stresses Market Development and Industry Growth as NPGA Chairman

By the age of 6, Chris Earhart had experienced the death of his mother and his only sibling, a younger brother who died shortly after birth. Their loss left his father with just one young son, who would literally grow up in the propane business. When his father passed away in 1991, Earhart had already worked in a full-time position with the company for 14 years, and had become president of Dixie Gas & Oil (Verona, Va.).

In early June, after many years of serving in leadership roles in the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), he assumed the title of chairman for the 2018-2019 term.

Shortly thereafter, Earhart delivered the first of many presentations he will give this year as chairman during the Mid-States Propane Expo in Branson, Mo. With a long lineup of summer and fall conventions on his agenda, Earhart and his wife Becky are prepared for a year of heavy travel. “I want to continue the push Jerry Brick made last year for the coordination of efforts by NPGA, PERC, and the state associations, and I want to raise the awareness that we all, as marketers, need to market the benefits of propane as the value added energy that it truly is, ” Earhart said. “To merely cut prices to steal business away from other retailers without growing demand only shrinks the industry and ultimately the value of our own companies.”

“Everyone operates under their own business model. One of the beauties of the propane industry is there is a place for every type of company,” Earhart said. “National and regional marketers have the ability to serve national accounts efficiently and function as a one-stop shop with limited involvement, while smaller, local marketers can thrive serving customers who want a higher level of service from someone who provides a personal touch and knows your name as well as your needs.”

“To support efforts at the state level NPGA is adding two full-time staff positions. We are supporting, not replacing, efforts by state associations.” In remarks to industry members at the Mid-States Expo, which represented Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, Earhart added that he is asking NPGA staff members to come to the Midwest, as well as other parts of the country, to learn firsthand about regional differences in the industry. “What works well in one part of the country may be irrelevant in another region.”

While Earhart is pleased with the working relationship with PERC and the state associations, he is sorry that Suburban Propane and Ferrellgas LLC have left the national association. “We continue to maintain an open door and, more importantly, we continue the efforts that provide valuable benefits to the entire industry. In addition to the revenue we have lost, we have lost a tremendous amount of volunteer talent at both the state and national levels,” he commented.

In addition to the multistate marketers who have left the association, Earhart is also very concerned about limited demand growth in the United States. “We are adding more and more propane supply in the U.S. than ever before, but we’re seeing a decline in domestic demand. Appliances have become more efficient and that is a factor, but I think we as retailers become complacent sometimes and take our customers for granted,” he said. “Our company was in the convenience store and restaurant business for a number of years. In that environment customers make a buying decision every time they shop and you have to market with that mindset. We try to carry that same mindset to our propane customers.” He is encouraged by the many young people he has met who have recently entered the industry. “Many of them embrace technology and have learned what it takes to increase efficiency while pushing growth, adding propane water heaters and furnaces and other appliances to each customer’s load.”

“In the early days, the propane industry was about making life better,” Earhart explained.

“That’s how they built demand. We shouldn’t forget that is what grows an industry and all need to be onboard.”

Earhart is a member, past president, and a former director of the Virginia Propane Gas Association. On the national level, he has served on the board of directors of NPGA since 1997 and is currently a member of the Governmental Affairs and Member Services Committees. He has served both on the Executive Committee and as chairman of the Member Services Committee. In 2015, he took on a five-year commitment with NPGA, starting his rotation through the chairs as he became the association’s treasurer, and ending with his term as past chairman in 2019-2020. “I was told years ago that if you wanted to know how the association runs, get on the Executive Committee,” he said. “I did and they were right. The opportunity to serve as an officer has been an even more wonderful learning experience.”

“I always take away more than I leave,” he said. “The officers I have worked with are all class acts and I’ve learned a lot because of the diverse sizes and geographies their companies represent.” Earhart’s wife Becky recently retired and is able to travel with him most of this year. “She is also chairman of NPGA’s Scholarship Committee and gives an update during the industry events we attend.”

“My extensive travel this year presents an opportunity for some senior people in our company to have additional responsibility. They have all been gracious and supportive,” Earhart said. “This has forced me to look at our organization and make sure it can run without me here.” Many of the values Earhart wants to promote within the industry are values he learned from his father growing up in the business from a very young age. “Diversification, hard work, and always striving to do the right thing for our customers and employees have been the keys to our success,” he said. While our industry faces a number of challenges, Earhart is convinced the future of the propane industry is as bright as it has ever been. —Pat Thornton