Home automation is significantly changing homeowners’ expectations and home builders are responding accordingly by offering homes that are smart and increasingly all-electric. Bob Torbin, director of codes and standards with OmegaFlex (Exton, Pa.), believes this is why NOW is a call-to-action time for the propane industry. “The gas industry could become a minor energy player, if not obsolete. I’m not saying home automation is going to kill LPG, but it’s going to be one of the contributing factors to a decline in sales,” Torbin said. One solution, according to Torbin, is for the propane industry to offer home-automation-ready piping infrastructure and provide the features now. “The home automation world is blossoming around us, but no one thinks of propane and home automation. Manufacturers [of LPG...

A great working relationship between operations and sales departments benefits everyone, but especially your customers. Learn how to strengthen relationships between the two teams during “Operations and Sales on the Same Page,” a Women in Propane (WIP) roundtable discussion to be led by industry leader Paige O’Dell during the 2019 National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Southeastern Convention and International Propane Expo in Atlanta in April 13-15. O’Dell, vice president of operations for AmeriGas Propane and chair of the Women in LPG Global Network (WINLPG), will share insights and personal stories from her impressive career. She relates her experiences in successful business operations and how a close relationship with sales teams makes a difference. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage in roundtable discussions following...

A great working relationship between operations and sales departments benefits everyone, but especially your customers. Learn how to strengthen relationships between the two teams during “Operations and Sales on the Same Page,” a Women in Propane (WIP) roundtable discussion to be led by industry leader Paige O’Dell during the 2019 National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Southeastern Convention and International Propane Expo in Atlanta in April 13-15. O’Dell, vice president of operations for AmeriGas Propane and chair of the Women in LPG Global Network (WINLPG), will share insights and personal stories from her impressive career. She relates her experiences in successful business operations and how a close relationship with sales teams makes a difference. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage in roundtable discussions following...

Steve McBride, COO of Parami Energy, was attending a conference in Myanmar last year when he was struck by a statistic he heard from Michael Kelly, director of market development and deputy managing director for the World LPG Association (WLPGA): Each year, 4.3 million people die from indoor air pollution-caused illness — more than deaths from malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis combined. Indoor smoke from solid fuels is the 10th leading cause of avoidable deaths worldwide. This entirely preventable problem disproportionately affects women and children—the ones collecting, cooking with, and breathing in solid fuels. Using propane can play a significant role in combatting this staggering statistic. It was fortuitous timing for both men. In a country where more than 80% of the 55 million residents still burn firewood...