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BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Mulhern Gas Company Celebrates 5th Generation Family Propane Business

    HUDSON, NY – Mulhern Gas Company is pleased to announce the addition of Richard “Rick” Cummings, IV, to their staff based in Hudson, New York. In joining the company, Cummings represents the fifth generation of the Cumming’s family at Mulhern Gas. Mr. Cummings is a 2011 graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, NY, and a 2015 graduate of Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, where he received an honors degree in Geology. His work at Colgate has subsequently been published by the Geological Society of America. Mulhern Gas Company is a full-service propane provider service with customers in Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, and Rensselear Counties. Mulheron was founded in 1918 by Thomas J. Mulhern as a coal provider. The company later moved into fuel oil distribution...

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  • Feature Articles

    Smith Gas Co. Celebrates 88 Years in Business

    Established in 1928 by William M. Smith, Smith Gas Co. Inc. celebrates its 88th anniversary in 2016 and has become a landmark on Third Street in Floresville, Texas. To celebrate this extraordinary milestone, owner Steve Smith, grandson of William Smith, invites customers and community members to the company’s “Open House” during the entire month of September. Smith Gas Co. will be offering a variety of great deals, prizes, refreshments, and propane, of course. If your mindset is, “I don’t use propane, I don’t need to go there,” think again. Smith Gas offers an extensive selection of elite stainless steel cookware, fire pits, and gas grills, not to mention kitchen utensils and gift baskets. Smith Gas will commemorate its 88 years in business throughout the month...

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  • Feature Articles

    Oregon Sheriff’s Office Saves Thousands By Converting Fleet to Propane Autogas

    The Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Albany, Oregon, converted its vehicle fleet to operate on a bi-fuel system that runs on propane autogas as well as gasoline. To date, converting the vehicle fleet to also run on clean-burning propane autogas has saved the agency nearly $24,000 in fuel costs in 2015, said Randy Camp, general manager of CoEnergy Propane. CoEnergy Propane has offices in Albany and Redmond, Oregon. Last month, CoEnergy Propane also presented a $6,700 check to Benton County during a Board of Commissioners meeting. The check represented the 50-cent per gallon Federal rebate that is available for vehicles that operate on propane autogas. “There are other entities now that are looking at converting to propane autogas all over the state,” Camp said....

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  • Feature Articles

    Palmetto Gas Grows Gallons With Outdoor Living Product Showroom

    Palmetto Gas (Ridgeland, S.C.), a Blossman Gas company, recently expanded its store to incorporate an 1800-sq-ft dedicated “Outdoor Living and Hearth Showroom.” The addition features an array of outdoor living and fireplace products including direct- and vent-free fireplaces, an entire gas log wall, fire pits, propane gas heaters, grills, and more. Al Brownrigg, store manager, indicated the company saw an opportunity with an empty bay to expand into outdoor living products for the builder/contractor market. The plan is to market directly to the homeowners in the Ridgeland/Hilton Head communities. Palmetto Gas recently held a "Contractor’s Night" with more than 50 contractors in attendance. “They loved seeing our products on display rather than in a catalog. Two of our largest builders, H2 Builders and Randy Jeffcoat,...

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  • Feature Articles

    Blue Bird Showcases Range of Commercial Propane Autogas Buses at BusCon 2016

    INDIANAPOLIS (September 19, 2016) — Commercial bus fleet operators looking for innovative, quality, and affordable transportation will find many options at the Blue Bird booth (501) at BusCon 2016, (Indiana Convention Center, Sept. 19-21) where the bus industry meets each year for business. Blue Bird will showcase a full range of small and medium-sized buses delivering excellent fuel economy, enhanced driver visibility and improved passenger comfort. “At Blue Bird, we’re proud of our 90-year history of building buses to the most stringent safety and quality standards,” says Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird. “Our commercial line customers always get the best of the best in terms of chassis and body construction and safety, so they can transport their passengers comfortably and safely, year...

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  • Marketing

    Commit Percentage of Gross Revenue to Marketing Budget For Growth

    Marketing and advertising play an integral role in determining the level of growth and success a company can achieve. Yet, in many businesses, it is often an area that is vastly underestimated, if not completely neglected. When growth is the goal, successful business leaders understand that it is the marketing that will drive revenue, rather than the reverse. So, would you like to grow your customer base, strengthen your brand, expand market share, increase enrollment in a profitable program, or promote a lucrative product? These objectives don’t necessarily require spending tons of money. However, if the goal is to build a strong brand and achieve growth year-over-year, one thing is clear: An annual marketing plan with strategies and tactics is necessary in order to move...

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  • Feature Articles

    ‘Be More Knowledgeable… Than the Guy Down the Road’

    The propane appliance business has been strong for Plantation Propane & Petroleum (Thomasville, Ga.). But if you ask Roy Setliff about whether the appliance business is profitable, he will tell you that isn’t the point. Being a “total service” propane company is more important. “I find it hard to believe that we would be as good a service provider for our customers if we did not offer the appliances and the service for them,” said Setliff, who oversees sales and marketing for the company and has been with the business since 1992. Monty Lewis owns Plantation Propane & Petroleum, which started out as Chastain-Clark Oil Co. and has been around for about 60 years. The company serves about 5000 propane customers and about 1000 petroleum...

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  • Safety

    Best Insurance Policy: Make Safety And Risk Management Top Priority

    The foundation of every successful propane company is built on a solid safety and risk management program. The propane industry does an excellent job ensuring service technician personnel receive proper safety training, certification, and continuing education classes, and stringent best-practice safety guidelines are made a top priority. What does your company do to ensure that safety is made a top priority in every aspect of the business? Does your company have a safety and risk management plan in place that demonstrates and documents this commitment to safety? Legal professionals advise that propane marketers be vigilant about adhering to stringent safety protocols across all areas of the business and to document such efforts. Having a risk management program positions your business on a solid foundation and...

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  • Safety

    Developing Culture of Safety Industry-Wide

    Many safety managers and trainers in the propane industry agree that in today’s environment of litigation and heavy regulation, propane marketers have increased their focus on keeping employees properly trained in the latest aspects of propane safety. But some say it must go further than that — propane companies should develop a culture of safety within their organizations. Jay Hilliard, safety and operations director for Revere Gas Inc. (Hartfield, Va.), said he is seeing more companies move toward a culture of safety, which he noted can yield great benefits. “Employees realize the decisions they make on a daily basis are vital to reducing their potential exposure to incidents and accidents,” Hilliard explained. “They learn that their safety is their responsibility and requires them to be focused on...

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  • Training

    ALICE’ Training Could Be a Lifesaver

    “Definitely a sign of the times,” was the common refrain among attendees at the 7th annual Mid-States Propane Expo upon learning that one of the educational sessions on the agenda dealt with “Active Shooter Awareness.” Hosted in Branson, Mo., by the Missouri Propane Gas Association and the Propane Marketers Association of Kansas, the Expo drew record-setting attendance with propane marketers from Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, and other states. Branson Police Department Officer B.J. Russell engaged the standing-room-only audience in an interactive presentation that emphasized the five major components of survival in an active shooter or workplace violence situation as identified by the ALICE Training Institute. Officer Russell, a certified ALICE training instructor, teaches these leading civilian response techniques now offered nationwide to a...

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