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Feature Articles

In-depth feature stories examining the trends, challenges and innovations shaping the propane and LPG industry.

  • Is The Coronavirus A Covered Peril Under Business Income?

    By Frank Thompson… Beginning the second week in March, the phones in our office started ringing with propane marketers calling to ask if they had any coverage under their Property Policy-Business Income if they were forced to close because of the governmental mandates ordering business to close because of COVID-19. Later, we learned that energy business was considered essential business and could and should continue to operate. Therefore, marketers were forced to find ways to protect their own employees from the public as they continued to operate. In almost every instance, efforts to keep employees safe were less efficient and more costly, resulting in marketers looking for ways to offset their losses. So, they turned to their insurance policy to see if they had coverage….
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  • FMCSA Publishes Start Date for Hours of Service Modifications

    (June 2, 2020) — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) officially published modifications to Hours of Service regulatory provisions on June 1, the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) reports. Motor carriers and drivers can implement the modifications starting September 29, 2020. NPGA notes that the modifications include improving the short-haul operation exemption by extending the maximum on-duty time from 12- to 14-hours and expanding the maximum air-mile radius from 100- to 150-air miles. The modifications also include changes to the regulations on adverse driving conditions, 30-minute rest break requirements, and split sleeper-berth. NPGA estimates these modifications could save the industry more than $11 million annually in paperwork costs, and provide 30,000 bobtail drivers more time to serve customers during deliveries. The official final rule…
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  • Emergency Response Team Adjusts To COVID-19

    As the threat of COVID-19 began to be known in this country, Foster Fuels (Brookneal, Va.) responded in many ways. For one, a trailer normally used as a mobile command unit during emergencies was stationed outside its headquarters and used as a medical checkpoint. There, a nurse conducts daily temperature checks on Foster Fuels team members to spot any early signs of the virus. Foster Fuels transports fuel across the nation and provides full propane services in Virginia. Adapting to challenging circumstances is nothing new to the company’s team members and its dedicated standby emergency division, Foster Fuels Mission Critical. Mission Critical provides emergency fuel supply services nationwide and is the prime emergency fuel contractor for the federal government. It has been responding to hurricanes,…
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  • A New Brand of Business Consulting

    (May 21, 2020) New Hampshire – After more than 15 years in the energy industry, Amanda Bacon launches Savvi Strategies, a consulting firm helping small and middle market businesses dramatically improve their marketing and public relations activities, and showing them how to transform their company culture into a strong, competitive advantage. Bacon is well-revered in the propane industry for helping several companies achieve award-winning success. She has led entire organizations, as well as sales, marketing, and public relations teams. Joe Rose, Goodwill Ambassador at Lin’s Propane Trucks and long-time propane advocate says, “One of the greatest things about the energy industry is that most companies are local and family-owned. Amanda recognizes that their brand is something they take great pride in, and it is one…
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  • What Happened In Crude Oil?

    By Jeff Thompson… Monday, April 20, 2020, made history. Crude oil for the first time ever traded negative on the NYMEX futures contract. Crude oil has traded negative on occasion for physical barrels off the NYMEX. In those cases of negative trading for physical barrels, it typically is a high-sulfur grade oil that cannot be easily refined. The underlying issue for off NYMEX negative crude oil trading and NYMEX negative trading is the same, storage. Typically, when a crude oil contract is getting ready to expire, a few days to a week before expiration, the market starts to work down the open interest in the contract. The open interest is simply the number of contracts outstanding for the contract month. Most of the time, with…
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  • First Purchasing Cooperative For Energy Retailers Launched In USA

    (May 13, 2020) New England — IDEAL Energy is a Member-Owned Cooperative of local energy distributors that exists to deliver reliable and secure heating and transportation fuels through a qualitative, independent network. IDEAL (Independents Delivering Energy Aligned Locally), works with local privately held energy retailers to help them manage the ongoing challenges of consolidation from large utilities and national energy corporations. Working together, IDEAL helps local providers defend margin, prevent volume erosion, share best-in-class operational expertise, and offers a Fuel-Local brand to gain more customers. Through cooperation with Fuel-Local branding assets, Members can better communicate the benefits of using local, independent providers to their customers. Kris Magnusson, General Manager and Co-founder of IDEAL says, “One of our greatest Member benefits is our strength as a…
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  • 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…
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  • Supply Situation Good Through 2020, But Watch Exports

    Despite the volatility in the oil and gas markets, and in spite of expected declines, albeit slowly, in production, propane inventories should be in good condition for the remainder of 2020. So said an industry analyst, reporting on the supply situation after the first few weeks of turmoil caused by the oil price war and the COVID-19 pandemic. Darryl Rogers, vice president, midstream oil and NGL, at IHS Markit, spoke with BPN April 21. The oil price war between the Saudis and the Russians had begun in early March, evidenced by a surge in production. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic was expanding, leading to a drop-off in consumption. The results could be seen in the price of crude oil. As a point of…
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  • Propane To The Rescue Providing Heat, Hot Water To COVID-19 Responders

    When temporary facilities began springing up to deliver services to communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, propane marketers were there to supply the fuel needed to provide warm air and hot water. Examples include temporary housing facilities, RVs, and tents: The AmeriGas New Orleans office delivered propane to temporary facilities set up for quarantined residents. The propane-fueled appliances included shower stations, food trailers, washers, and dryers. Suburban Propane’s location in Newark, N.J., responded to a request to provide heat and hot water for RV units used by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff in New York City. FEMA obtained special permission for Suburban’s bobtails to deliver propane to the NYC area. Ferrellgas locations across the country set up temporary heat at pop-up testing and…
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  • Ways To Engage With Your Propane Customers In 2020

    It’s time to identify your goals for the year and how to focus your marketing efforts in order to achieve them. Whether you have your sights on improved customer retention, increased sales, building brand awareness, or a mixture of all three and then some, marketing experts agree that engagement is a pivotal tool for marketing success in 2020. So, what do we mean by engagement and why does it matter for marketing in the propane industry? Traditionally, propane marketing has been primarily a one-way conversation. But that doesn’t quite cut it anymore. More and more consumers want to interact with brands they are loyal to, and a percentage of that majority in the millennial demographic even expects interaction. Engagement is not only beneficial for the…
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  • Competing For Acquisitions: David and Goliath

    (April 29, 2020) — Large and small companies looking to acquire propane companies each have their advantages and disadvantages. Large companies typically have good financial resources, a dedicated acquisition team, and advancement opportunities for employees. Smaller companies typically offer more employee input in decisions, fewer operational changes, and more flexibility regarding company policies. LARGER MARKETERS DOMINATE While both large and small have their advantages and disadvantages, larger marketers dominate the acquisition market. Small or mid-size marketers competing for acquisitions against large multi-state marketers, can face some challenges. Understanding and improving on acquisition capabilities is one area a smaller acquirer should focus on. Knowing your competition and what they can and can’t offer is another important aspect. Ultimately, the decision is in the seller’s hands, so…
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  • Expert Weighs In On Accident Prevention Through “Near Miss” Reporting

    We’ve long understood that knowing about near misses in our business is a key to preventing future accidents, but employees typically don’t buy into the program for myriad reasons. The lack of responses to your request for employees to report near misses doesn’t mean that your company isn’t experiencing them, it just means that the employees don’t feel comfortable reporting them to you. Understanding the reasons why your program isn’t working is a key to ensuring that you address the concerns, circumvent the accidents, and prevent visits from OSHA, DOT, and any other agency that could wreak havoc on your company’s image and financial wellbeing. The first roadblock to getting the appropriate information is making the process too difficult or stressful for the employee. Although…
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