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BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Employee Culture Wins Company Third “Reader’s Choice” Award

    Towanda, PENNSYLVANIA (October 26, 2017) — WOC Energy, an Energy Distribution Partners (EDP) company based in Towanda, Pennsylvania, has earned a Readers’ Choice Award from the readers of The Daily Review, Towanda’s main newspaper, for the third year in a row. WOC Energy has been providing retail and commercial propane services, heating oil, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) services to customers across north-central Pennsylvania for nearly 60 years. Founded in 1958 as Williams Oil Company, WOC Energy was acquired by EDP in February 2015. According to Jeff Brunner, Regional Vice President-East for EDP, the award is in large part due to the strong employee culture that is well-established at WOC 
Energy. “We knew from our initial conversations with WOC’s owners that the company...

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  • Feature Articles

    Winter Heating Costs Likely Higher than Last 2 Years

    Most U.S. households can expect higher heating expenditures this winter—October 2017 through March 2018—than the last two winters, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Winter Fuels Outlook. Higher expected winter heating expenditures are the result of both more heating demand because of relatively colder weather and, to a lesser extent, higher fuel prices. EIA’s projections of heating demand are based on the most recent temperature forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA’s forecast anticipates that winter weather will be 13% colder than last winter and closer to the average of the previous 10 winters. Because weather patterns present great uncertainty to winter energy forecasts, EIA’s Winter Fuels Outlook includes projections for 10% colder and 10% warmer scenarios. In the past 10...

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  • Feature Articles

    PERC Must Adopt a New Approach, Not Just a New Budget

    By Steve Ahrens . . . (October 23, 2017) — The propane industry recently celebrated the achievements of the only CEO that the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has ever known. Roy Willis stepped down after 20 years at the helm, rightly receiving the accolades due him for not only aiding the legislative effort that created the council, but leading it through some turbulent times. We join those throughout the industry in commemorating his contributions and wishing him well in retirement. Now, Tucker Perkins, a former marketer and Roy’s second-in-command at PERC, steps in to lead the organization. Among his first actions will be implementing the council’s FY 2018 budget, currently out for public comment. While the spending document hews closely to previous budgets,...

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  • Feature Articles

    Superior Plus Corp. Acquisition of R.W. Earhart Complete

    TORONTO, ONTARIO (October 20, 2017) — Superior Plus Corp. (“Superior”) recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of the propane distribution assets of Ohio-based R.W. Earhart Company, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately US $38.0 million. The purchase price will be funded by drawing on Superior’s existing credit facility. R.W. Earhart Company ("Earhart"), is one of the largest independent propane distributors in Ohio serving residential and commercial propane customers. Earhart is a third-generation family business started more than 60 years ago by Robert Earhart who began delivering farm fuels and heating oil to customers in and around Troy, Ohio. Over the years, Robert’s regular fuel deliveries grew into a thriving independent business. In 1979, his son, William Earhart, became the owner and President...

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  • Feature Articles

    PERC Announces ‘Propane Leadership Award’ Recipients at GIE+EXPO

    WASHINGTON (October 18, 2017) – A Pennsylvania propane marketer and a Louisiana landscape contractor are the recipients of the second annual Propane Leadership Award. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) made the announcement at the 2017 Green Industry and Equipment Expo held in Louisville, Kentucky. PERC awarded Louisiana-based Rotolo Consulting, Inc. and R.S. Hollinger & Son, Inc. in Mountville, Pennsylvania, with the honor at this year’s GIE+EXPO. “We’re excited to announce RCI and R.S. Hollinger & Son, Inc. as the recipients of this year’s Propane Leadership Award. Both businesses have helped bring awareness of propane mowers into their communities, and share the benefits of the clean fuel with their customers,” said Jeremy Wishart, deputy director of business development for PERC. “They did the research...

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  • Feature Articles

    Operation BBQ Relief Feeds Thousands Compliments of Propane

    (Since this Operation BBQ Relief article was published the organization has deployed to Northern California to assist victims and first responders in fire-ravaged areas including Sonoma and Napa counties. The organization’s co-founder, Stan Hays, has also been recognized as a CNN Hero.) For the first time in a century, two Category 4 or larger hurricanes hit the U.S. mainland in the same year, landing a one-two punch within days of each other. In late August, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas three separate times over six days. The destructive 100-plus-mph winds, heavy and excessive rainfall—up to and exceeding 50 inches in some areas—devastated the Texas Gulf Coast. Hurricane Harvey’s catastrophic destruction left one-third of Houston underwater, displaced more than 13 million people in Texas, Louisiana,...

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  • Feature Articles

    Experts Weigh In On Winter Outlook

    (October 11, 2017) — BPN recently sent a series of questions regarding this winter’s supply and logistics outlook to George Koloroutis of ThompsonGas, chairman of the National Propane Gas Association’s (NPGA) Propane Supply and Logistics Committee, and Debnil Chowdhury of IHS Markit, manager of the consultancy’s natural gas liquids service. Responses appear below. Q: Propane exports, according to the Energy Information Administration, did gradually decline in late August, but remained above 600,000 bbld as of the week ended August 25 at 607,000 bbld. After Gulf Coast shipping returns to normal, do you anticipate exports falling under 600,000 bbld and remaining steady at that level? Obviously the lower the export volumes the better. A:  I agree that the lower the export volumes are, the better things are...

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  • Feature Articles

    VW Settlement Update for Nebraska

    (October 9, 2017) — The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been named as the administrator of the VW Settlement funds for Nebraska. DEQ has set two dates for the public to provide input regarding how the money should be spent in the state and to ask questions. The Department has also provided a way to send in written comments to be added to the rule-making process. These comments must be received by the Department by November 3, 2017. The public meetings will be held on October 16th at 1:00 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb., at the Lancaster Event Center, and October 18th at 1pm in North Platte at the Best Western Plus. Lynne Schuller with the Nebraska Propane Gas Association will be attending both of...

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  • People

    Women In Propane: Jane Stroup — A Propane People Person

    (October 9, 2017) — In recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, BPN remembers those in our industry who have been touched by this terrible disease, whether personally, a family member, or friend. This Women in Propane article about Jane Stroupe was originally published in April 2011. Many in the propane industry have known of Jane’s courageous battle with breast cancer. She passed away Sept. 2, 2017, at the age of 63. Whether it was in her previous position as president of PNG Propane, her current position with Heritage Propane (Helena, Mont.) as vice president and regional manager, or through her propane industry involvement at the state and national levels, working with people is what Jane Stroupe enjoys most. “That’s the part of my...

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  • People

    Propane People In The News

    (October 9, 2017) — Kevin Hall has been named senior vice president of logistics at Ferrellgas (Overland Park, Kan.), with responsibility for analyzing and further enhancing the company’s supply chain processes. He was most recently vice president of transportation and logistics at Crestwood Midstream Partners LP in Kansas City, Mo. Hall’s career in distribution and supply chain logistics spans three decades. Advanced Digital Data Inc. (ADD Systems; Flanders, N.J.) recently expanded its marketing department. Brittany Cooper has joined the team as a marketing associate and Victoria Leyson as a marketing intern. Warren Booth has joined Emerson, Fisher LP-Gas Equipment (McKinney, Texas) as sales manager, LP-gas equipment. He will work directly with the company’s LP-gas distributor channels as well as its customers in the residential, transportation...

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