Author

BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Chicago company replaces diesel delivery trucks with propane autogas

    Alpha Baking Company in Chicago replaced 22 of its 300 diesel trucks with propane vehicles. These trucks are Class 4 Ford E-450 step vans with a 6.8-liter V-10 spark ignition engine with a Roush dedicated liquid propane injection system. These vehicles replaced model year 2002-2007 diesel Freightliner MT35/MT45 step vans equipped with Cummins 5.9-liter ISB diesel engines. Alpha Baking Company, Inc. was established in 1979 with the acquisition of the Mary Ann Baking Company in Chicago. Founded in 1935, Mary Ann is best known for the ever-popular Chicago style poppy seed hot dog bun. In 1981, Alpha Baking purchased S. Rosen’s Baking Company, a Chicago staple and baker of Jewish hearth rye breads and variety rolls since 1909. Through the years, Alpha Baking has continued...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    MFA Oil Raises $165,000 To Help Military Troops With Charity Golf Tournament

    COLUMBIA, Mo. (June 8, 2015) – MFA Oil Company, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Columbia, Mo., announced it raised $165,000 to support Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that provides emergency and other financial assistance to thousands of military troops and their families. The money was raised through the company’s second Annual Charity Golf Scramble & Concert, which was held June 6 at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia. The tournament attracted 200 golfers and included prize money and awards for tournament winners. In addition to golf, participants and guests were treated to dinner and a private concert featuring country music singer-songwriter Sara Evans. “We’re proud to support Operation Homefront in their efforts to assist the military families and wounded warriors who protect our...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Successes Against Natural Gas Expansion, But Work Remains

    For several years, the propane industry has been locked in a fight against natural gas expansion into rural propane territory, and the state of Michigan is a prime example. More than 80% of the homes in the state are already piped for natural gas, but Michigan Propane Gas Association executive director Derek Dalling says that 80% is not enough for the natural gas industry there. “They need and want to have the rest,” Dalling stated in a presentation at the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Southeastern Convention in April. “In testimony, [the natural gas industry] said they represent four out of five people in the state, and they want the fifth one. That is their aim, to put you all out of business.” The Southeastern...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    To Promote Propane, Builder Takes His Clients Home

    When his residential clients are unsure about using propane appliances in their new homes because they are unfamiliar with propane or are concerned about safety, builder Ron Scarpa has a unique way of putting their minds at ease. Scarpa, president of Barefoot Brothers Construction (Winter Park, Fla.), takes his clients to his personal home, which includes many propane appliances. The home has Rinnai propane tankless water heaters, a six-burner commercial-style GE Monogram propane range in the kitchen, a propane fireplace, and a propane clothes dryer. Working with Sams Gas (Orlando, Fla.), he converted an old sugar kettle into a propane fire pit. Scarpa grew up around his family’s restaurant business, and he has also built several restaurants, so he is an advocate of gas cooking....

    Read More →

  • Safety

    Push for a Culture of Safety In Your Business

    By Richard Fredenburg … Most states have some form of legal requirement that propane installations meet certain standards, and more often than not, the standard is NFPA 58, the “LP-Gas Code.” Our inspection team received code enforcement training that might shed some light on what is expected of us as enforcers and what is expected of those we inspect. This article will point out some of the similarities and differences. The training was provided by Reed Jarvis, a retired fire inspector, who pointed out that buildings and installations have to be built or installed to meet all of the code requirements. But an inspector is not required by law to verify that all requirements are met when he does an inspection. If an installation of...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride Logs 5700 Miles, Hosts Major Events

    The “Show Me” state proved a scenic locale for the launch celebration of the Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride. With the Heart of America Bridge and Missouri River as backdrops, the 5700-mile road trip embarked May 2 from the Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City, Mo. The vehicle arrived back to its home at the AutoGas Research & Technology Center in Asheville, N.C. on May 23, after traveling the country for three weeks, spreading the word on cleaner air and lowering emissions. On the heels of achieving what Alliance AutoGas said was the fastest recorded alternative fuel conversion to propane autogas at the 2016 Work Truck Show (92 minutes), the Alliance AutoGas Ford F-150 set off on a 12-city tour to “travel...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Nationwide USDOT Roadside Truck Inspection Blitz Begins

    The Michigan Propane Gas Association (MPGA) just learned of a nationwide roadside truck inspection effort being conducted by the US Department of Transportation. All marketers should be advised and prepared for a major enforcement blitz from today, June 7th through Thursday, June 9th as a nationwide roadside commercial motor vehicle inspection sweep is scheduled to take place. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a group of federal, state and local transportation enforcement agencies, is preparing to put 10,000 inspectors at 1,500 sites nationwide to conduct approximately 75,000 roadside inspections on June 7-9, 2016. The CVSA "RoadCheck" inspection sweep is an annual event designed to highlight common violations of state and federal motor carrier and HAZMAT transportation regulations. The goal of the RoadCheck program is to...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Propane Makes News at ACT Expo

    The propane industry made a strong showing at the ACT (Advanced Clean Transportation) Expo May 2016 in Long Beach, Calif., with a focus on propane at a session on urban mobility and various booths showing the latest products. The event featured the appearance of a PSI propane-fueled (LP) terminal tractor prototype and an agreement for ICOM North America to supply liquid injection propane systems for vehicles and school buses for First Priority Green Fleet. “We love being at ACT because it’s the merger of futuristic technologies and emissions and clean air and gives us a chance to talk about how propane meets that today,” said Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). PERC had a booth at the...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Yellowstone Park Foundation and Bernzomatic team up to tackle sustainable recycling of camping fuel cylinders

    “Proper recycling of all camping materials — including the fuel cylinders used each season – has always been a focus in Yellowstone; however, the park’s original infrastructure could not keep up with the number of cylinders used,” said Karen Kress, president of Yellowstone Park Foundation. “We are grateful for Bernzomatic’s partnership in uncovering a long-term cylinder recycling solution that also makes the process simpler for park visitors.” As part of the program, Bernzomatic invested significant resources to overhaul Yellowstone’s existing propane cylinder reclaim vehicle. The company’s engineering, product development, safety and regulatory teams collaborated to create this first-of-its-kind design with enhanced safety features. The new vehicle now removes residual propane from discarded fuel cylinders and processes them for recycling 20 times faster than the original...

    Read More →

  • Safety

    North American ‘Roadcheck’ Kicks Off June 7th to emphasize important role driver and truck safety play in reducing roadway tragedies

    The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual International Roadcheck is scheduled to take place June 7-9, 2016, across North America. Law enforcement officers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will be inspecting large trucks and buses as part of this three-day enforcement event. The event is designed to spotlight the important role of driver and truck safety inspections in reducing roadway tragedies. This year’s Roadcheck will place a special emphasis on tire safety. Over the 72-hour period, 10,000 federal, state, provincial, territorial, and local inspectors at thousands of locations in North America will conduct commercial vehicle and driver inspections. Officials will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level 1 Inspection, which is a 37-step procedure that includes both driver and vehicle. The inspection will go...

    Read More →