Author

Pat Thornton

Pat Thornton is a 25-year veteran of the propane industry, with 20 years at Propane Resources and five years at Butane-Propane News. He has served on the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) Safety & Training Advisory Committee and the Missouri PERC board of directors.

 

  • Feature Articles

    Strategies For Working At Home During COVID-19 Pandemic

    The coronavirus pandemic has changed life dramatically in countless ways. As many propane employees are adapting to safe social distancing while continuing the frontline work of delivering propane and taking care of customers, other industry members who work more behind the scenes in offices have been sent home to work in compliance with stay-at-home requirements for employees. There are some in the propane industry who have been working at home for a number of years, including the entire staff of TSN Communications, a public relations firm that serves quite a few propane clients. TSN Communications’ clients include the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), ROUSH CleanTech, Superior Energy Systems, Blue Bird, and the propane associations of Missouri, Illinois, and Virginia. According to TSN Communications’ president...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Propane Autogas Makes Big Inroads at Work Truck Show

    (April 9, 2020) — The ongoing discussion of what fuel is best and most cost-effective to power work trucks carried over to this year’s Work Truck Show March 3-6 in Indianapolis. While talk of electric work trucks has hit a frenzy, according to most everyone who represented the propane industry, there was a strong sense among key propane vehicle stakeholders that propane would continue to have a strong niche, especially with Class 3-7 vehicles. “There was plenty to share about opportunities propane brings to the table,” said Steve Whaley, director of autogas business development at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). “Propane autogas vehicles produce [less] greenhouse gases and significantly reduce NOx emissions compared to other fuels, creating a healthier environment for employees and...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Then and Now: Autogas Evolution With Propane Industry Trailblazer

    (March 26, 2020) — In the late 1980s, Curtis Donaldson (in photo at right) was selling wholesale propane for Conoco in Oklahoma and Missouri when the company decided to begin offering propane at its company-owned gas stations. At that time, President George H. W. Bush had signed the Clean Air Act Amendments and several larger wholesale companies believed selling clean-burning propane was a good plan for a future with more people likely using cleaner fuels. Industry veteran Larry Osgood was at Phillips 66 at the time and that company was also giving strong consideration to installing propane dispensers alongside gasoline dispensers at its company-owned stations. Conoco and Phillips 66, which would later merge into one company, decided to launch an infrastructure program in Denver in...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    NPGA Leaders Discuss Regulatory Successes, Challenges Ahead

    (February 19, 2020) — Following the Midwest supply issues in the fall of 2019 that consumed most of their attention, the National Propane Gas Association ’s (NPGA) Jeff Petrash, vice president and general counsel, and deputy counsel regulatory affairs, Sarah Reboli, are looking toward new concerns for 2020 and the coming decade. BPN recently spoke with the members of NPGA’s legal team about the successes and challenges the industry faces as it moves into 2020. “We still have a little unfinished business following up with FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] regarding the supply challenges,” Petrash said. “Then we have plenty to work on in the new decade.” Petrash continues to stress that decarbonization will be a huge focus for many years to come. “Electrification will...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Keep The Party Outdoors With Propane and Innovation

    (February 13, 2020) — As propane grills have become commonly used for outdoor cooking, other new products have been added in recent years to make outdoor living a much easier and more enjoyable experience on the deck or patio. “Just like indoor gas fireplaces, people like the convenience of gas grills, gas fire tables, and conversation pits on the deck and in the backyard,” says Eric Hawkinson, vice president of operations with The Outdoor GreatRoom Co. , based in Minneapolis. “They haven’t always enjoyed just hanging out around the gas grill, so we’ve come up with products that are more like an open fire to sit around and enjoy.” EASE AND CONVENIENCE Hawkinson believes the ease, convenience, and safety of these products are what make...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Key Numbers To Watch Vary By Company and Current Goals

    (January 22, 2020) — Recent supply challenges in Iowa and across the Midwest serve as a reminder that retail propane marketers can enjoy much greater success if they are making decisions based on real-time market knowledge. “Buying the cheapest posted price on a given day isn’t always the best strategy,” said Marty Lerum, managing partner at Propane Resources (Mission, Kan.). “Supply security is also extremely important, even if it means paying a little extra.” Lerum feels that retail marketers need to be aware that with a changing marketing environment, some producer/wholesalers are opting out of doing small contracts and spot loads for retail propane marketers. “They are focusing more on selling larger volumes to larger buyers that will guarantee a rate of return on their...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Grain Drying Demand, Early Cold, Spawn Propane Supply Challenges

    (January 21, 2020) — Heavy rains produced record flooding in the Midwest in early 2019, wreaking havoc in communities and on farms. Sustained precipitation caused marked postponements for crop seeding in the spring, and many acres weren’t planted at all. Fallout from the flooding hit again in the fall and produced severe propane distribution constraints throughout America’s Breadbasket. Farmers who earlier struggled for months with swamped fields, fewer planted acres, and commodity price uncertainty now endured the multiple challenges of a delayed, wet harvest and the early onset of cold temperatures and snowfall. Mother Nature determined that record levels of prompt propane were needed to dry sodden grains at harvest time, and just for good measure swept the Heartland with cold and snow so space...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Where Do We Grow From Here? A Propane Inspiration Home Leads The Way

    (January 13, 2020) — Last June, the Missouri Propane Education and Research Council (MOPERC) wrapped up promotional activities for a model home at Lake of the Ozarks that featured propane appliances throughout. In partnership with developer Dave Leathers, the Propane Inspiration Home showcased the many benefits propane can provide for homeowners beyond space heating and hot water. “The partnership was beneficial for all concerned,” Steve Ahrens, MOPERC president, told BPN. “The developer’s goal was to raise funds for a local food pantry through the sale of the home. MOPERC’s goal was to generate video and photo assets that we could use in future marketing. We both gained a new appreciation for working with homebuilders and subcontractors to incorporate propane appliances.” A HOUSE IS BORN The...

    Read More →

  • Feature Articles

    Rural Computer Consultants: 40 Years Of Growth and Change

    (November 22, 2019) — Rural Computer Consultants Inc. of Bird Island, Minn., is celebrating 40 years in business this year. A look back makes it clear that nearly every aspect of the business has changed dramatically since its early days at the end of the 1970s. What began as two brothers, Brian and Kevin Sheehan, in a small office inside the family retail propane business is now 60-employees strong and led by Brian Sheehan, his sister Susie Peterson, four of their grown children, and 54 more employees. The home office, originally in Bird Island, a small town of approximately 1000 people, was moved briefly to Redwood Falls and then Willmar before returning to Bird Island near the end of its first decade of business in...

    Read More →

  • Safety

    Truck Safety: Before, During, and After The Sale

    (November 2019) — Amid the process of building, selling, and servicing propane trucks of all kinds, there is a group of professionals who dutifully go about their work every day to make sure the roads will be safe as thousands of propane trucks go out to take care of customers’ needs. “This past winter was rough and the people who keep everything rolling really need to be recognized,” said Tim Schweppe, general manager—propane division at Arrow Tank and Engineering (Cambridge, Minn.), “I will start with my better half (in the workplace), Kelly Schlickenmayer, our production manager, and his crew. He is the ‘absolute No. 1 premier’ production manager and a lifeline to so many people in the industry who have relied on him to carry...

    Read More →