Author

Steve Relyea

Steve Relyea has written for B2B publications for more than 30 years. He has specialized in reporting on skilled trades, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

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  • Safety

    Tank Monitors Improve Efficiency, Safety, Customer Retention, Suppliers Say

    Tank monitors are going to continue to gain ground in the next few years, suppliers of tank monitoring systems and services told BPN. They said that while no more than 5% of tanks in the U.S. are monitored currently, 35% or more of tanks could provide a suitable return on investment on a tank monitor today and more will be able to do so in the next few years. At least two suppliers said all tanks will have monitors in the future. They explained that tank monitors have been getting more affordable, consumers have come to expect to have information available on demand, and propane marketers have been gaining experience with the technology and the benefits it provides. The suppliers shared several tips that will...

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  • Feature Articles

    Distributors’ Show Customer Appreciation In Diverse Celebratory Traditions

    INDUSTRIAL PROPANE SERVICEIndustrial Propane Service Inc. (IPS; Byron, Mich.) celebrated its 50th anniversary with an open house at its facility in August. Attendees were treated to a grilled lunch, training sessions, and a mini trade show with vendor display tables. A cash cube full of cash and coupons, an ice cream cart, and a popcorn machine added to the excitement of the open house, which gave industry members a chance to see the company’s latest offerings while celebrating 50 successful years in business. The company was founded in 1968 by Charles and Helen Vandemark along with their son, Robert Vandemark. The initial focus was on bulk storage plants for retail companies and standby systems for factories. With the gas shortages of the 1970s, the business...

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  • Feature Articles

    Multiple Strategies Underway To Recruit Propane Industry Workforce

    Trade organizations and individual propane marketers need to spread the word that there are jobs available in the propane industry—good jobs and lots of them. So said several attendees at a meeting of NPGA’s workforce development task force held Sept. 30 during the association’s 2018 Fall board of directors meeting and related committee meetings. NPGA, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), state associations, and individual marketers are pursuing several strategies that were mentioned at the meeting. “In a tight labor market, we have to work to make this industry be seen as an employment destination,” said Alex Gresham, director of human development at Blossman Gas (Ocean Springs, Miss.). “We have plenty of jobs that won’t be outsourced overseas and whether someone is just starting...

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  • Feature Articles

    NPGA Updates On Key Advocacy Issues

    The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) has provided updates on its key advocacy issues. During the association’s Fall board of directors and related committee meetings, held Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 in Houston, NPGA president and CEO Richard Roldan and members of the association’s legislative and regulatory staff outlined the latest news on these “90-Day Criticals.” First was the Crane Rule. With the Nov. 10 compliance date nearing, NPGA was continuing its efforts to achieve an exemption for propane marketers. During the event, the association issued a call for members of the industry to email the White House and cc their Senators, asking them to intervene with OSHA on the industry’s behalf. In at least two of the meetings held during the event, speakers asked...

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  • Safety

    PERC and NPGA Lower Barriers To Workforce, Consumer Safety Education

    A variety of new safety resources have been made available to propane marketers over the last several months. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) have created tools with the goal of lowering barriers associated with workforce education and certification. In addition, PERC has updated some of its residential consumer safety education materials and provides safety education courses and materials for external markets such as HVAC/plumber professionals and propane autogas technicians. The workforce safety education resources include blended learning, which combines online training with classroom work; the addition of refresher training and a recurrent CETP Certification process; and the transition to subject specific training. These resources are focused on streamlining training and lowering educational barriers for the industry....

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  • Products

    31st World LPG Forum Delivers International Perspective, Showcases New Products

    Eighty-eight exhibitors and around 1400 participants from 76 countries discussed products and services at the 31st World LPG Forum, October 2-4, 2018 in Houston. Expert speakers, too, came from around the globe to present market forecasts, technical papers, and other information. The organizer of the event, the World LPG Association (WLPGA), reports that the top five countries represented at the Forum were the United States, India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Japan. With this year’s event in Houston, the World LPG Forum made its fifth appearance in the United States and its first since 2014. Like previous editions of this annual get-together, it featured a conference, exhibition, and several smaller summits and side events. Conference The Global Technology Conference (GTC), which is organized by WLPGA and takes...

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  • Feature Articles

    Delivering for a Cause — Propane Companies Raise Funds To Support Breast Cancer Awareness, Research, and Treatment Year-Round

    (October 2018) — If you’re trying to draw attention, driving a big bright pink truck down the road is a good way to do it. Today, many propane marketers across the nation are operating pink delivery trucks to draw attention to, and raise funds for, a variety of organizations devoted to breast cancer awareness, research, and treatment. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, eight propane marketers shared with BPN stories about their pink trucks and how they contribute to the cause. RYMES PROPANE & OILWhen your company has a pink truck raising money for breast cancer awareness, it won’t stay parked in one place for long, says Jim Rymes Jr., partner and fleet manager, Rymes Propane & Oil (Concord, N.H.). He has found the...

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  • Feature Articles

    Crane Rule Deadline Nearing, NPGA Says, “Help Us Keep the Pressure On”

    The propane industry’s long-running struggle to gain an exemption from, or at least another delay of implementation of, a component of the Crane Rule is nearing a key juncture. As this was written in early September, the compliance deadline for third-party certification of employees who use cranes was scheduled to go into effect Nov. 10. “The Crane Rule unnecessarily burdens the propane industry with over $151 million in compliance costs every five years,” says Michael Baker, director, legislative affairs with the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA). “This is significant for an industry predominantly composed of small businesses that supply a valuable domestic energy.” Long opposed by members of the propane industry, this component of the Crane Rule—the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Cranes and...

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  • People

    Women In Propane Profile: Promoting the Benefits of Propane and the Propane Industry

    Alison Abbott has built a rewarding career in the propane industry. She now works to promote to others the opportunities the industry offers as a career and the benefits propane offers as a resource. As communications director with the World LPG Association (WLPGA) in Paris, Abbott manages all the group’s internal and external communications. She also set up and now manages the Women in LPG Global Network (WINLPG), an initiative of WLPGA. “When I am asked what I do, I say, ‘I work in gas,’” she says. “To some, that doesn’t sound very exciting, but I can say the industry is very friendly. I hear ‘family’ over and over. I love my job and I am lucky to do what I do. This industry offers...

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  • Feature Articles

    Marketers Say Autogas School Buses Bring Year-Round Business

    (September 2018) — As students head back to school this fall, a growing number will be transported on school buses that are powered by alternative fuels including propane autogas. School bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corp. (Macon, Ga.) reports that the use of alternative fuels has tripled in the last five years. According to Blue Bird, 12% of the buses in operation in the United States and Canada used alternative fuels in 2017, up from 4% in 2012. Alternative fuels include propane, gasoline, and compressed natural gas; the remainder of the buses were powered by diesel. As a growing share of the school bus population is powered by alternative fuels, an increasing percentage of the fuel consumed by school buses will be propane autogas. In the...

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