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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  • Feature Articles

    Efforts Underway To Recruit Propane Service Techs

    To grow gallons, the propane industry must recruit and develop technicians who can service and sell propane appliances. So says Mike Davis, president of Davis Propane (Cochran, Ga.). He says the industry must introduce students to propane when they are in middle school and high school, and must provide a curriculum for propane appliances they can study when they are in technical school or community college. Davis has been doing just that by working with schools throughout the state of Georgia. He began this effort four years ago. His company, an independent propane company serving middle Georgia, had been losing business to heat pumps. “I went to a local HVAC dealer and asked why they weren’t selling gas units,” Davis told BPN. “He said they...

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  • Feature Articles

    Three Generations, One Focus: “Customers First”

    Wholesale distributor R.E. Michel Co. has been expanding in many ways. Founded in 1935 to serve the heating oil industry, it expanded into propane appliances and equipment in 2005 and is continuing to grow that part of the business. Based in Glen Burnie, Md., the company has been adding locations across the country and opened distribution centers in California and Arizona within the past year. And, a family-owned and-operated company, it passed leadership to a third-generation president nine months ago. Through these expansions and other moves, the company has maintained a focus on customer service. Company executives say that is what has allowed it to keep growing for 84 years and to successfully transition to a third generation of leadership. “As times change, the demands...

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  • Feature Articles

    Survey Reveals What Propane Marketers Want

    Propane marketers expect a much quicker turnaround on orders of propane equipment than they did only four years ago. In response, wholesale propane equipment distributor Bergquist Inc . has launched a subscription-based two-day shipping program. Called Bergquist Select Ship , the new program was launched April 15, 2019. It is available for all customer deliveries in the 48 contiguous United States. Those who enroll in this yearly subscription plan will be guaranteed two-business-day delivery on more than 60 Guaranteed Stock Equipment items. Customers can enroll in the Select Ship plan for $499 per year per “ship to” location. “The 60+ guaranteed inventory items are our most popular ‘tank set’ items,” explained Don Montroy, director of marketing at Bergquist Inc. “One of our of main segments...

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  • Beyond the Mains

    College Propane 101 With Ted Johnson Propane

    Professionals from Ted Johnson Propane Co. (Baldwin Park, Calif.) recently introduced local college students to the propane industry and the career opportunities it offers. Owner Julie Johnson delivered a classroom presentation at their school and then, the next day, she and operations manager John Weigel led students on a tour of the company’s bulk plant. Johnson’s presentation to the Operations Management Society and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) lasted 45 minutes. Her presentation began with a sort of “Propane 101”—what it is, how it is produced, and how it is distributed. For these particular student organizations, a slide from NPGA showing the propane supply chain was especially helpful. Johnson also covered propane’s role as an...

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  • Feature Articles

    WINLPG Woman of the Year Advises “Be Courageous” To Achieve Career Goals

    Early in her career, Lesieli Taviri walked into a meeting of business leaders and froze. She saw that she was the only woman in the room, she didn’t recognize anybody, and, for the first time in her life, she felt intimidated. She walked to the back of the room, sat alone for the duration of the meeting, and then left without having said anything to anyone. “I knew I had to make a choice of just avoiding such gatherings—which was an easy choice, but would not be beneficial from a business point—or make a courageous decision to try and belong,” Taviri told BPN recently. “So I chose the latter and knew I needed to find a different strategy to help build my confidence. I joined...

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  • Feature Articles

    8 Business-Building Tools and Tips from the PERC Conference

    Ideas and projects to increase the use of propane appeared throughout the agenda at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) Meeting held April 2019 in Atlanta. Speakers suggested a number of ways the council and all members of the industry can contribute to growing the use of propane. Thought leadership: The industry’s employees need to know how to explain the benefits of propane to customers and convey the fact that this is clean energy. In the chief executive officer’s report, delivered from a remote location, PERC president and CEO Tucker Perkins said efforts in public relations and thought leadership are important. PERC is encouraging state energy executives to promote the many benefits of propane as a leader in clean energy. "You will see us...

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  • Safety

    Cylinder Storage Cabinets Provide Safety, Security, Image Quality

    Cylinder storage cabinets can provide not only safety and security, but also long-lasting good looks that help propane marketers create and reinforce a good image and merchandise their products. American Standard Mfg. (ASM; Central Bridge, N.Y.) has been manufacturing gas cylinder storage and merchandising cabinets since 1990. Today, in the propane category, the company offers in-stock availability and can custom configure cabinets to the customer’s needs. Available from stock are 17 models of 20-lb cylinder exchange cabinets and 20 models of forklift cylinder cabinets. All forklift cylinder storage cabinets are designed to make compliance with NFPA simple and affordable. David Day, CEO of ASM, suggests that propane marketers and equipment distributors consider the following questions when choosing the cabinet that is right for them. What...

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  • Feature Articles

    8 Tips for Making the Most of the New Propane.com

    All the resources offered by the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) can now be found in one place: propane.com . That includes resources for propane marketers as well as propane customers. Where previously there were 10 websites, each designed for a different market segment, there is now one site offering easy access to all those resources. “Putting all our great content in one place is designed to make it easier for everyone — propane marketers, propane customers, construction professionals, manufacturers, equipment dealers, energy influencers — to find it quickly and put it to use right away,” says Gregg Walker, PERC’s director of external communications. “Folks need to remember just one website: propane.com.” “Having a single website also increases the chances that someone learns something wonderful about propane that...

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  • Feature Articles

    For Fleets, Prevention, Preparation Are Key, DOT and Law Experts Say

    When it comes to both Department of Transportation (DOT) audits and road accidents, it’s never too early to work to prevent them and to prepare yourself to handle them if they do happen. That was the message delivered by three speakers at an education event held by J. J. Keller & Associates Inc., a provider of regulatory, safety, and compliance solutions to organizations of all sizes. The 6-1/2-hour seminar, “DOT Audits — What You Need to Know,” was held Nov. 27, 2018, in Long Beach, Calif. It was one of many such events the company holds around the country, and it was complimentary to experienced fleet professionals. More than 70 executives, directors, and safety managers registered to attend the Long Beach event. Preventing Audits One segment of...

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  • Feature Articles

    Cargo Tank Maintenance: More Important Than Ever

    When the hydrostatic pressure test requalification period for some bobtails was extended in 2016 from five years to 10 years, a burden was removed from propane marketers. At the same time, though, that extension may allow problems on improperly maintained bobtails to fester for an additional five years. Jason Soulon, sales manager, southwest region at Westmor Industries (Morris, Minn.), has seen what can happen when people get lax with inspections and maintenance. He has 20 years of experience designing, selling, and servicing bobtails. Westmor Industries not only manufactures bobtails, transports, and other equipment, but also offers repairs, tests, and inspections at seven locations in the Midwest and the Eastern United States. “When we have a bobtail in the shop to perform a hydrostatic pressure test,...

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