PERC Announces First Ever ‘Propane Leadership Awards’

WASHINGTON (October 19, 2016) – The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announced its first annual Propane Leadership Award recipients today at GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Kentucky. Mike Halloran, owner of Halloran Power Equipment and MowerWorks in Chicago, and Jeff Sebert, owner of Sebert Landscaping in Chicago, are the first-ever recipients of the award.

“The Propane Leadership Award is designed to recognize those in the commercial landscape industry who are not only using propane equipment to better their own business profiles, but who have become propane advocates to their peers as well,” said Jeremy Wishart, deputy director of business development for PERC. “Both Mike Halloran and Jeff Sebert are shining examples of business owners who did their homework and understood the positive impact propane equipment could have on their businesses, both financially and environmentally. Now, they are reaping the rewards of propane while differentiating themselves from the local competition at the same time.”

Halloran and Sebert each received a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat to commemorate the award at an announcement on the GIE trade show floor during Dealer Day. Upon receiving the award, Halloran, an equipment dealer, and Sebert, a professional landscape contractor, discussed the benefits propane has had on each of their companies.

For Sebert, considering propane mowers was part of his company’s aim to be greener. He was attracted to the reduced emissions profile propane mowers offered compared to machines fueled by gasoline or diesel fuel. The company began purchasing propane mowers in 2011 and since 2012 Sebert has exclusively purchased propane machines. Currently, it operates 165 propane mowers, which totals 60 percent of the company’s mower fleet. The financial benefits of propane helped his company further its environmental efforts, too. Reduced fuel costs allowed Sebert to add solar panels to trailers, which help recharge battery-operated equipment moving from customer to customer.

The benefits of a clean fuel were a driver for Mike Halloran, too, to add propane equipment to his sales floor almost a decade ago. He saw a growing demand for green practices and an opportunity to differentiate his business, as well as his customers’ business, from companies using traditional fuels. Halloran finds success selling propane equipment when he explains to contractors the long-term financial advantages of propane, in addition to the opportunities to bring down the initial equipment cost through the use of PERC’s Propane Mower Incentive Program.

“Contractors and dealers who take the time to learn about the benefits of propane can have incredible success incorporating propane equipment into their business, whether they’re a contractor or dealer,” Wishart said. “Jeff and Mike are prime examples of what success with propane can look like and we’re very excited to recognize them as our inaugural award recipients.”

For more information about commercial propane landscape equipment, visit propane.com/commercial-landscape.

About PERC: The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry. For more information, visit propane.com.

(Photo Caption: From left, Mike Halloran,owner of Halloran Power Equipment, and Ralph Meyer, fleet manager for Sebert Landscaping, receive a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat to commemorate the Propane Leadership Awards.)