(October 25, 2019) — It came as no surprise to many in the propane industry that earlier this year Tom Knauff, chairman and CEO of Energy Distribution Partners (EDP; Chicago), was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 in the Midwest. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who excel in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to businesses and communities, while also transforming the world. Although not ultimately the winner, being in the select group of finalists for such a prestigious award was a true honor for Knauff and the team that has helped him build EDP. Founded in 2012, EDP completed its 25th acquisition in August. The company is now the eighth-largest independent provider...

(October 14, 2019) — Amid changes in leadership and issues of focus at the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), vice president and general counsel Jeff Petrash said that while some key issues are requiring less focus, a tsunami is brewing in the form of the “electrify everything” movement. “The Crane Rule hasn’t come up as a significant issue for almost a year,” Petrash said. “Natural gas expansion has also slowed, but we continue to monitor it and we can address concerns as they arise.” For Petrash and the staff at NPGA, weekly advocacy meetings of the staff help determine priorities and they, as well as the NPGA leadership, are concerned about a movement to cut carbon emissions that doesn’t consider the full fuel cycle of...

(September 16, 2019) — Following a spring and summer of flooding and recovery efforts, retailers in the Midwest have begun adding winter preparation into their already hectic days and weeks. “We wish we could control the weather, but we can’t,” said Paul Harris, fuel division manager at Ray-Carroll Cooperative, which has 10 locations in northwest Missouri. “We can only focus on recovering from the current situation, learning from it, and being as prepared as possible for future challenges.” In the July issue, BPN covered the flooding in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas that began in March and continued to cause problems well into the summer as levees failed and rivers suddenly rerouted themselves through fields and everything else in their new path. In mid-June,...

For many people in the Midwest, lessons learned during the flooding of 1993 are not easily forgotten. In that year of record-setting rain levels, many people were taken by surprise at how fast heavy rain could cause large, valuable items to simply float away. “Those like me who spent time in 1993 in a canoe with a rope rescuing tanks on the Kaw River are much more likely to avoid a situation like that again,” said Greg Noll, executive director of the Propane Marketers Association of Kansas (PMAK). “There is plenty of information on flood preparation available from PERC, but those in our industry who lost tanks and other equipment during heavy flooding are extra vigilant about preparing for keeping their assets from being washed...

Retail propane success stories were shared in a seminar presented by BPN at the 2019 NPGA Southeastern Convention in Atlanta. In three 20-minute segments, representatives of a trio of retail propane companies of different sizes and from different geographies shared unique ways their companies have found success. Their stories took into account market conditions as well as new opportunities presented by improved technology. TECHNOLOGY TO GROW THROUGH MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION “Gadgets are the great equalizer,” said Chris Caywood, president of Caywood Propane Gas, Inc. (Albion, Coldwater, and Hudson, Mich.). “Technology and information make smaller retailers more competitive with larger retailers.” He noted that smartphones were only used by about 15% of his market 10 years ago, but now almost 99% of his market has them....

With a new Congress that includes 100 freshman members, 91 of them in the House of Representatives, it seems that making progress is taking even longer than usual. “A lot of issues got kicked down the road as the new Congress took over and now things are moving slower as so many new Congress members are coming up to speed on all of the issues,” said Michael Baker, director, legislative affairs for the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA). “We’ve been actively working on getting to know all of the new members of Congress and their staff. We’ve been to over 150 Congressional offices so far. At a certain point, there is only so much industry lobbyists can accomplish as these offices welcome input directly from...

Louisville, Ky., like many cities, has for a long time recommended that residents delay mowing with gasoline mowers during air pollution alerts. Three years ago, the local newspaper, the Courier Journal, reported that city mowing crews were ignoring the city’s own recommendations by continuing to mow on those days. The next day, Mayor Greg Fischer and city officials discontinued mowing on the pollution alert days acknowledging the confusion continuing to mow on such days causes the public. But people also complain when grass grows too high. A SOLUTION TO A DILEMMA By April of 2018, the city had a solution to the mowing dilemma: propane mowers. With the purchase of 11 new mowers that run on propane, the city would retire some aging gasoline lawn...

Signature Truck Systems , founded in 1999, has always had leaders with strong roots in the retail propane business. Building bulk, crane, service, and cylinder trucks were key functions of the new company and experienced retail propane leadership has always been a part of the company’s success. The founder, Joe Volk, was a retail propane marketer prior to starting Signature Truck Systems. Volk, with technical director Al Avram, founded the business along with three techs. As the business grew in the early 2000s, several shops were purchased from Ferrellgas in the Clio, Mich., area and a large production facility was added several hours north at Houghton Lake, Mich.  Mike VanDenBoom joined Signature Truck in 2008 as director of operations and Eric Salinas joined the same...