Continuing Education, Mutual Respect, Family Traditions Drive Second-Generation Success

As one might expect of the principals of a business named Local Peoples Gas, the three siblings who own and operate the company place great stock in the value of community. Like their parents, who founded the enterprise, the second-generation owners and operators believe it is important to buy locally and to treat customers like family.

“We believe that being a family-owned and -operated business is the thing that distinguishes our company from others,” says Dana Ferguson, one of the three siblings. “We have the privilege of being established in communities that support small and local businesses, thankfully. And we are active in supporting other local businesses as well — we choose to buy our morning biscuits at the corner store, our cattle feed from the mill just down the road, our tools from the local hardware store. We utilize the local printing company for all of our paper needs, the hometown newspaper for our advertising. We do so because we know how hard each of these businesses work daily to meet the needs of their communities, customers, and families.”

The Ferguson family’s first company was Ardmore LP Gas, cofounded by Kenneth and Louise Ferguson in 1971. The current company, Local Peoples Gas, was cofounded by the husband-and-wife team in 1984. Today, it has four locations, operating as Local Peoples Gas in Athens, Ala. and Petersburg, Tenn.; Ferguson LP Gas in Ardmore, Ala.; and Guntown LP Gas in Guntown, Miss. The full-service company specializes in propane, tanks, cylinders, heaters, fireplaces, and other propane equipment and accessories. With 25 employees, seven bobtail trucks, and storage facilities that house 216,000 gallons, it serves more than 7000 customers.

Currently, there are six family members employed: Dickie Ferguson, president; Mike Ferguson, manager of the Ardmore location; Dana Ferguson, manager of the Athens location; Billy Randolph, CEO; Jennifer Beddingfield, customer service representative; and Brittany Olson, public relations specialist. Several other family members have worked at the business, but have either retired, passed away, or become homemakers. Other extended family members step in when needed.

“We all grew up in this industry,” says Dana Ferguson. “Our parents ran the business while we learned the details from the ground, up. My brothers filled bottles, pulled gas truck hoses, painted tanks — whatever was needed. My brother, Mike, drove a gas truck from 1984 until he came into the office in 2010 as manager of our Ardmore location when our father passed away. My brother, Dickie, has literally performed every propane-related job imaginable. His knowledge about the business because of those experiences is unparalleled and a major factor in why our business is as successful as it is today. I started by helping our mother in the office. Before we had computers, we kept accounts on ‘cotton books,’ as she called [them].

“When our father passed away in 2010 — our mother passed in 2003 — Dickie became the president of the companies, Mike became the manager of our flagship location, and I transitioned to corporate secretary,” she adds. “After serving as manager of our Athens location for 11 years, my sister-in-law, Peggy Ferguson, retired and I moved to become manager of that location last year.”

As Local Peoples Gas transitioned to the second generation, the founders’ children worked to operate the company in a way that would make their parents proud. To keep things running smoothly and serve customers and the community well, they prioritize continuing education, mutual respect, and family traditions.

“Our father ran this business literally until the day before he passed,” Dana Ferguson says. “In the process of grieving as a family, we had to continue running the company that we all valued so dearly — and in January, no less. Thankfully, our loyal employees, as well as our uncle, Billy Randolph, who contributes an endless amount of leadership, experience, and expertise as our CEO, carried us during that time. My brother, Dickie, was really thrown into the thick of it as Mike and myself stepped up to help lighten the load as best as we could. It was a trying transition that thankfully has blossomed into a thriving business that we’re all honored to be a part of.

“It is essential that all key players are able to step in to any position, at any given time,” she adds. “Cross-training was necessary, as was humility during a trying personal and professional period of change.”

Training continues to be a priority today, for both owners and employees. Employees are trained and are offered continuing education in their fields so that they can offer the best service to customers. That means staying current in computer technology, marketing, public relations, and the other customer-focused skills. The owners, too, remain up to date on the market so that they can make the big calls on decisions like opening new locations.

Mutual respect has been another key to keeping the business running smoothly. The three siblings grew up in the business and learned from their parents. They are now passing that knowledge along to the next generation, their own children, who are now joining the business. They expect their kids will bring new skills and experiences to the operation. The siblings also acknowledge that they each have their own personalities, strengths, and weakness, while sharing family traditions, daily communication, and dedication to the family company.

“We believe that it is pivotal for each of us to stay in our own lane — meaning we all have our strengths and responsibilities and we make it a priority to not overstep,” Dana Ferguson says. “We respect and value each other’s positions, gifts, and experiences that each of us bring to the dynamic we’ve cultivated. We’re diverse, but we all have the same ultimate goal of honoring our parents’ legacy while serving our customers to the best of our abilities.

“We believe that we each value the positions we now hold because we truly started at the bottom, put in the time and energy and effort of learning from the experts before us, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with the new generations of our family, too. It’s a productive process that we adhere to, letting everyone experience the big picture to develop well-rounded and educated employees and leaders.

“The beauty of this process is that it isn’t reserved for family members only,” she adds. “Our employees who aren’t related to us by blood definitely feel like family because they’ve been a fundamental part of our company’s success, thanks to their dedication and loyalty to the services we provide. We feel very blessed to be able to work together as a family and with employees who feel like family.”

“The legacy of our parents who founded this business is integrity in customer service,” Dana Ferguson says. “We truly treat our customers as if we live in their home, as if they are our family. We offer 24-hour service. We have a live person in the customer’s community ready to serve them at all times. That’s an incredible advantage of being a locally owned and operated business. We can make decisions immediately, we don’t have to wait on anyone else to make the call for us. One of our slogans is, Large enough to serve you, but small enough to appreciate you.

“As a family who has lost its founders, my parents, when we’re together for holidays now — in their family homeplace that I own — we like to remember the years of Christmas Eve dinners when Daddy would eat his meal, then hop on a gas truck. Mother would send a plate with him for the customer — sometimes they wouldn’t even need our trade, just our companionship. And that was more than okay by my parents. That’s the legacy that we’re honored to uphold.”

The second-generation owners and their company serve their community in a number of other ways. Dickie Ferguson currently serves on the Alabama LP Gas Board. He also coaches a local softball team. They partner with local churches to fill care bags for local schoolchildren who are living below the poverty level. They deliver goody baskets at Christmas to their oldest customers, many of whom are shut-ins. And, carrying on a tradition their parents started on day one of the business, they offer 10% off any purchases to all local churches.

“We believe that we are only as strong as our community,” says Dana Ferguson. “We aren’t involved in these things, and many more, to manipulate any business on our behalf. We all genuinely just do not know any different. We come from a long line of servers, doers, and includers.

“We truly value our neighbors and their well-being,” she adds. “We believe that our success is a grand reflection of the community that supports us. We think that when you stand on those principles, you cultivate gratefulness that is contagious. In 1992, my father was quoted as saying, ‘We appreciate our customers and thank them for making our family dream come true.’ That still rings true to this day. At our parents’ funerals, person after person passed through the receiving line sharing story after story of random acts of kindness our parents performed in their life, and what a difference they made in our community. We strive daily to live up to those standards.” —Steve Relyea