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BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Propane Kids Day Uses AI Robot to Teach Students About Propane

    Propane businesses engage their communities in a variety of ways. Many host an annual Customer Appreciation Day or Barbeque, some have a booth at the county fair, while others may participate in the local parade. Judy Taranovich, president and owner of Proctor Gas Inc., enjoys all-things propane, and is eager to share her knowledge about propane whenever and wherever she can. Her warm, outgoing personality draws people to her, and the many activities and events Proctor Gas hosts each year has made her a well-respected businesswoman, civic leader, and philanthropist in her Proctor, Vt. community. With her late husband Jimmy’s love of community in mind, she has ventured off in her own direction by engaging the town’s elementary school children. Each year, she teaches them...

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  • Feature Articles

    MFA Oil Acquires Frazier Oil & LP Gas

    (August 20, 2018) — MFA Oil Co. (Columbia, Mo.), a farmer-owned energy supply cooperative, has acquired the propane and farm fuel operations of Frazier Oil & LP Gas Co. Inc., an independent retailer based in Gower, Mo. The deal, of which details were not released, closed Aug. 2. Frazier Oil has served residential, agricultural, and commercial customers in Buchanan, Clinton, and Platte counties since 1969. “Frazier Oil’s propane and farm fuel business is a natural fit for our company and we are excited to welcome their customers,” said Jon Ihler, MFA Oil vice president of sales and marketing. “We are really pleased to have found such an ideal fit for this aspect of our business,” added Scott Frazier, president of Frazier Oil. “MFA Oil has...

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  • Feature Articles

    BBB Award Application Provides Valuable Learning Experience

    Annual awards presented by local Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) may have different names, but they honor similar qualities. Each of the awards recognize businesses and nonprofits that operate in an ethical fashion, have a good reputation in their industry, and demonstrate a commitment to customers, employees, and the community they do business in. Each of the awards also requires an application process that is quite involved. After being nominated or nominating themselves, organizations must complete an application form that asks about their business practices. The Eclipse Integrity Awards Business Submission from the BBB of Dayton and Miami Valley, for example, has nine pages. It asks for brief essays and supporting documents regarding leadership commitment to ethical practices, communication of ethical practices, leadership practices to unify...

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  • Products

    Propane Products “In The News”…New Autogas Dispensing Units Available in Market

    (August 13, 2018) — Byron, Mich.-based IPS Equipment, a full line equipment distributor for the propane industry, has obtained UL certification for its retail and commercial line of Gasboy Autogas dispensing units. The autogas dispensers are equipped with stainless-steel panels, pull-away protection, and fuel management capabilities. They are available in single-side or dual-side configurations. “We have been seeing more and more fleets turning to autogas as a safe and economical alternative to gasoline and diesel fuels,” said Jeff Vandermark, IPS president. “Having the UL approval means a lot to our customers and inspectors who are not familiar with these systems. As autogas moves forward into public stations, UL will be required.” According to IPS, the new dispensers are designed to function in a manner similar...

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  • Training

    Two Propane Emergency Responder Training Sessions Offered In New York

    (August 15, 2018) — Two Emergency Responder Training Programs will be held in September at the New York State Fire Academy in Montour Falls, New York. A three-day Emergency Responder session that fulfills the 24-hour course requirement to become an Emergency Responder (CFR 1910) is scheduled September 11-13, 2018. A one-day Emergency Responder Refresher Training Program will also be held on September 13, 2018. These safety training courses are funded in part by the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), the New York Propane Gas Association (NYPGA) Emergency Response Committee, and the New York Propane Education & Research Council (NYPERC). The refresher training on September 13 is an OSHA requirement for all responders who have taken the original 24-hour (3-day) course. The OSHA standard requires...

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  • Feature Articles

    Ferrellgas Completes Sale of Non-Core Business Assets

    Ferrellgas Partners LP (Overland Park, Kan.) said Aug. 1, 2018 it had divested its Bridger Environmental, Bridger Transportation, and Bridger Terminals businesses and its Blue Rhino Global Sourcing lines of business. Ferrellgas said the divestitures reflect the decision to focus on core retail propane distribution and Blue Rhino tank exchange operations. The transactions generated net proceeds of about $92 million, which are to be invested in the propane business. The Bridger sales include the company’s saltwater disposal operations, all assets associated with crude oil trucking, and two crude oil injection terminals. The assets have been sold to two subsidiaries controlled by Pilot Flying J (Knoxville, Tenn.). Other terms of the deal were not disclosed. In separate transactions, the remaining assets of the Bridger Terminals business...

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  • Feature Articles

    IN MEMORIUM: Leone Elizabeth “Lee” Eisenhauer (November 24,1938 – July 15, 2018)

    Former Propane Marketers Association of Kansas (PMAK) Executive Director Leone Elizabeth “Lee” Eisenhauer, of Linn Valley, Kansas, passed away at the age of 79, on Sunday July 15, 2018 at her home. (Pictured here on left at the 2017 Mid-States Propane Expo with Vickie Woodbury, PMAK executive assistant and editor of PMAK Propane News publication). Lee was born in Morrowville, Kansas on November 24, 1938 the daughter of Sylvester and Ilah Hanshaw Durst. She was honored to serve as the Executive Director of Kansas Propane Marketers Association for 15 years, where she’d worked for many years. She retired in 2001 to the lake house she’d always dreamed of in Linn Valley Lakes. She was a member of the Linn Valley Community Church and was active...

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  • Feature Articles

    Missouri Funding Opportunity Up to $22,000/Unit To Replace Diesel School Buses

    (August 14, 2018) — The State of Missouri is requesting applications from schools and school fleet operators to replace old diesel buses. This funding opportunity is open to public and private schools and school districts and for-profit operators of school bus fleets, providing up to $22,000 for each vehicle replaced. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which administers the program, anticipates 70-75 bus replacements statewide through this one-year cycle.The deadline for districts and school transportation providers to apply is Friday, September 14th. Applicants may apply for funding for up to 3 buses if replacing diesel with diesel; however, they can apply for funding for up to 10 buses if replacing diesel vehicles with propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), all-electric buses, or other clean-fuel alternatives. Shuttle...

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  • Feature Articles

    Weaker Oil, Softer Propane Prices? World’s Largest Container Shipping Group Raising Prices

    Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping group, is raising prices due to increasing marine fuel costs, demonstrating how the surge in oil prices to their highest levels in four years is running through the global supply chain. Having a share of around 20% of seaborne freight, Maersk is a barometer of global trade, sending goods ranging from consumer electronics to food items worldwide. Prices for bunker, as marine propulsion fuel is known, have risen more than 20% since the beginning of this year, and in Europe have reached $440 per metric ton, the highest since 2014. The Danish company’s shares have fallen as higher fuel prices hurt its bottom line, with oil prices having climbed on the back of concerns that Iranian output could...

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  • Training

    Hands-On Autogas Technician Training Customized for Iowa Techs

    You shouldn’t have to drive 100 miles to service an autogas vehicle. That being compulsory, it follows that few would adopt propane as an alternative fleet fuel. But the industry and its fellow stakeholders endeavor to eliminate market barriers and facilitate switching to autogas. Toward that end, nearly 20 automotive technicians received hands-on and classroom instruction under the sponsorship of the Iowa Propane Education & Research Council (IPERC) and the national PERC in mid-June at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. The curriculum, developed by the West Virginia University-based National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC), with financial support from the national PERC, bolsters efforts around the country to train next-generation technicians to maintain and repair autogas-fueled vehicles, thereby supporting the over-the-road propane segment, a...

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