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Feature Articles

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

  • Ferrellgas Acquires Diamond Propane In New York

    LIBERTY, Mo., July 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. (NYSE:FGP) today announced the acquisition of Diamond Propane, Inc., an independent propane retailer based in Potsdam, New York. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive and allows the partnership to strategically grow its footprint in northern New York. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

 Founded in 1995, Diamond Propane serves residential, agricultural, industrial, and commercial customers in and around St. Lawrence County. "Diamond Propane is a well-run company that has built a strong reputation in the communities it serves by providing great customer service," said Ferrellgas President and Interim Chief Executive Officer Jim Ferrell. "It's exactly the type of business we've looked to acquire through the years, and I couldn't be more…
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  • Industry Shares Strategies for Adding Water Heaters

    Growing residential load by boosting the number of propane customers who also heat their water with propane can be beneficial to a retail propane company. Several industry leaders with experience growing gallons by adding water heaters spoke at a breakout session at the 2018 National Propane Gas Association’s Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo in Atlanta. Mike Peacock, director of energy sales at Rinnai North America, moderated the session. He was joined by Mark Jaynes, central procurement director at Blossman Gas; John Jessup, president & CEO of the North Carolina Propane Gas Association (NCPGA); and Jeff Stewart, president of Blue Star Gas. The panel discussed Dead River Co. in the Northeast U.S., where Jeff Roth, director of sales, and the company’s staff recognize the same…
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  • Volkswagen Settlement Funds Pave Way for Fleet Vehicle Replacement

    ROUSH CleanTech (Livonia, Mich.) reviews that in 2016 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a complaint against Volkswagen alleging the automaker violated the Clean Air Act. During normal operation and use, Volkswagen vehicles emitted levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) significantly in excess of EPA’s compliance levels. Volkswagen was found guilty and agreed to spend up to $14.7 billion to settle allegations of cheating on emissions. Settlement funds will be used to buy back and/or modify vehicles, and to support national- and state-level projects to reduce NOx emissions. ROUSH CleanTech notes that the settlement amount is a lot of money, and some in the propane industry could have access to funds for fleet vehicle replacement. Vehicles from ROUSH CleanTech, and others, could be eligible for funding,…
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  • Propane Marketers Call On OSHA To Remove Propane Container Deliveries/Retrievals From The Crane Rule

    WASHINGTON, DC (July 9, 2018) – On July 5, the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) strongly opposed certain provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that addresses operator qualification for Cranes and Derricks in Construction. In its 244-page comment, NPGA stated that OSHA should expressly exclude the operation of cranes in the delivery or retrieval of propane containers from the regulation. To require propane field technicians who use cranes to deliver/retrieve propane containers to obtain the same third-party certifications as construction crane operators would be unlawful, would impose costs far greater than any purported benefits, and would violate fundamental principles adopted by the administration of President Donald J. Trump concerning agency rulemaking. NPGA President and CEO Richard Roldan…
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  • U.S. Net Energy Imports from Canada Far Exceed Exports

    The value of U.S. energy imports from Canada consistently exceeds the value of U.S. energy exports to its northern neighbor by a large margin, writes the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Canada is the largest energy trading partner of the U.S., based on the combined value of energy exports and imports. And although the value of bilateral energy trade has varied over the past decade, driven primarily by changes in the prices of oil and natural gas, the overall structure of energy trade flows has changed relatively little. Increasing energy commodity prices in 2017 led to growth in the value of both exports to, and imports from, Canada. Based on annual data from the U.S. Census Bureau, energy accounted for $18 billion, or about 6%, of…
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  • Product Knowledge, Relationships, ‘Family Feel’ Set Third-Generation Company Apart

    When Mike Rutherford joined his family’s business, the first thing he did was go out and meet the customers. Tasked with promoting a new sector of the business — gas grills — he took along a display trailer and performed hundreds of demonstrations. Twenty years later, he is president of the family-owned company, Covington, Ga.-based Rutherford Equipment. The kind of product knowledge and relationship-building he demonstrated early in his career remain important to the way the company does business today. “When I joined the company out of college in 1998, my dad, Randy, saw we needed to diversify and branch out into other, related products,” Rutherford says. “I was tasked to help grow the consumer products side of the business — grills and other gas appliances. Before that, we were a…
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  • New Online Course Explores Uses of Propane Technologies in Home Remodels

    WASHINGTON (June 25, 2018) – The Propane Education & Research Council’s Propane Training Academy has a new online course available that provides remodelers and other construction professionals with an overview of home remodeling trends and how innovative propane technologies can add value to remodeling projects. The online course, Adding Value and Innovation to Remodeling Projects with Propane: Opportunities to Leverage High Performance Propane Systems, will count toward continuing education credits from the American Institute of Architects, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and the U.S. Green Building Council. Construction professionals can take the course for free. Upon completion of the course, attendees will understand: • Current remodeling industry market trends based on industry research data. • The most common remodeling…
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  • Cylinder Dumping Investigation Launched by Commerce Department

    The U.S. Department of Commerce has initiated an investigation to determine whether steel propane cylinders from China, Taiwan, and Thailand are being dumped in the U.S., as well as a countervailing duty probe to resolve if producers in China are receiving unfair subsidies. The investigations were initiated based on petitions filed by Worthington Cylinders (Columbus, Ohio) and Manchester Tank & Equipment Co. (Franklin, Tenn.) in May. There are 18 alleged subsidy programs for China—two loan programs, three export credit/guarantee programs, five tax programs, three provision of goods for less than adequate remuneration programs, and five grant programs. The alleged dumping margins are: China from 55.41% to 108.6%, Taiwan from 28.19% to 66.20%, and Thailand 47.67% to 122.48%. In the dumping investigation, Commerce will determine whether…
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  • Innovative Hydronic Space Heating Unit Provides Competitive Response To Electric Heat

    With 7 million all-electric homes beyond the gas mains, electric heat pumps have outpaced propane as the primary heat source across a large swath of the energy marketplace. The challenge propane displacement poses to the industry is being addressed by a group of forward-thinking propane marketers, industry organizations, and Rinnai America Corp. The team has developed a competitive response to grow propane gallons with the introduction of an innovative hydronic space heating solution that has the ease of one-button simplicity. The presentation “Growing Residential Gallons with Hydronic Space Heating” at the 2018 NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo featured speakers Randy Doyle, CFO of Blossman Gas (Ocean Springs, Miss.); Armistead Mauck, owner and vice president of Cherry Energy (Kinston, N.C.); and Mike Peacock, energy…
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  • Family-owned Businesses Create 60% of Total U.S. Employment, 78% of All New Jobs, 65% of Wages

    In the pages of its June 2018 issue, BPN takes a look at how some propane companies are making the most of their status as a family-owned business. These articles are the first in a series on this topic. We will celebrate more family businesses in the next few issues of BPN. Please contact us if you would like your family business to be featured in an upcoming issue of BPN. In each of the past three years, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has proclaimed a day in June to be Family Business Day. “Family businesses are a great and significant component of our heritage and culture, and greatly contribute to the commonwealth’s economy,” his 2017 proclamation says. It also reports that family-owned businesses account for…
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  • Continuing Education, Mutual Respect, Family Traditions Drive Second-Generation Success

    As one might expect of the principals of a business named Local Peoples Gas, the three siblings who own and operate the company place great stock in the value of community. Like their parents, who founded the enterprise, the second-generation owners and operators believe it is important to buy locally and to treat customers like family. “We believe that being a family-owned and -operated business is the thing that distinguishes our company from others,” says Dana Ferguson, one of the three siblings. “We have the privilege of being established in communities that support small and local businesses, thankfully. And we are active in supporting other local businesses as well — we choose to buy our morning biscuits at the corner store, our cattle feed from the mill…
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  • Natural Gas Expansion: One Hot Topic at State and Local Level

    As hundreds of members of the propane industry were preparing to travel to Washington, D.C. for Propane Days, the annual advocacy event held in the nation’s capital, there was plenty of legislative and regulatory activity happening on the state and local levels too. BPN surveyed seven leaders of state associations and found they have been working on a wide variety of issues that affect propane marketers. When asked about the issues that are hot in their states right now, these industry advocates highlighted ratepayer subsidies for natural gas expansion, promotion of the benefits of propane, spring road weight restrictions, advocacy of a state assessment program, propane emergency bills, and even a constitutional convention to rewrite a state’s constitution. NATURAL GAS EXPANSION The state associations in…
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