(By John Kamps, owner of Kamps Propane, Manteca, Calif.) Ten years ago you would have never imagined having a phone in your pocket that can send an email, store all of your music, and doesn’t have to be flipped shut to end a call. Technology moves us forward and allows information to be more readily available. And just like mobile phone technology has evolved over the past 10 years, so has training for the propane industry. In early 2000, I started to think about technology that could help train my employees — and those of other propane marketers — that didn’t rely solely on sending them to a far-away classroom or depending on a class schedule that wasn’t always convenient. My goal was to maintain a high level of…

BATON ROUGE, La. (Nov. 7, 2016) – The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program has awarded the East Baton Rouge Parish school system a grant of $773,000 to replace 30 of its diesel school buses over the next two years, with less polluting, more environmentally-friendly propane-powered school buses. According to the EPA, school buses travel about four billion miles each year, providing the safest transportation to and from school for more than 25 million American children every day. However, diesel exhaust from these buses has a negative impact on human health, especially for children who have a faster breathing rate than adults and whose lungs are not yet fully developed. While new buses must meet EPA’s tougher emission standards, many older…

WASHINGTON, DC (Nov. 4, 2016) – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced 55 routes that will serve as the basis for a national network of “alternative fuel” corridors spanning 35 states. Though the network is nearly 85,000 miles long, more miles will be added in the future to accommodate propane autogas, electric, hydrogen, and natural gas vehicles as additional fueling and charging stations are built. “Alternative fuels and electric vehicles will play an integral part in the future of America’s transportation system,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We have a duty to help drivers identify routes that will help them refuel and recharge those vehicles and designating these corridors on our highways is a first step.” Those corridors designated…

Dassel’s Petroleum, Inc., a privately owned company based in Hollister, CA, has been acquired by Chicago, Illinois-based Energy Distribution Partners (“EDP”). Dassel’s provides propane, gasoline, diesel, oil and lubricants, as well as tanks, related equipment and tank refurbishment, throughout the central coastal region and central San Joaquin Valley of California. Ray Dassel founded the company in 1939 and four generations of the Dassel family have now served in the business. The company serves residential, commercial, agricultural and agri-business customers. Energy Distribution Partners CEO Tom Knauff stated, “We are very pleased to welcome Dassel’s Petroleum to the EDP family of companies. We have already been active in southern California, and adding Dassel’s expands our presence with five locations in central California. Dassel’s will maintain its name…

Naples, Florida (November 2, 2016) – Roy Willis, who has led the staff of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) since March 1998, announced that he is retiring July 31, 2017. An executive search task force has been formed to seek a new chief executive. “Roy has led the PERC staff and has been an industry leader for nearly 20 years,” PERC Chairman Tom Van Buren said. “He guided PERC through its start-up phase, acquired and championed modernizing the industry’s workforce training program, built an award-winning advertising campaign, transformed PERC during the restriction into a propane commercialization organization, and most recently after the restriction re-integrated consumer education into the Council’s strategy.” “On reflection, it is amazing the challenges and opportunities Roy has helped lead…

Dover, Delaware (Nov. 1, 2016) — Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) (Chesapeake Utilities) announced today that its propane distribution subsidiary, Sharp Energy, received the inaugural awards for “Best Gas Company — Overall” and “Best Southern Delaware Gas Company — Sussex County” by Metropolitan Magazine. “Sharp Energy has built a solid reputation for providing reliable service and unsurpassed customer care for our residential and commercial propane customers, and they’ve done so while making personal connections in the community,” said Michael P. McMasters, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. Metropolitan Magazine “Best of the Eastern Shore” selections showcase the magazine readers’ choices for the finest businesses in the Delmarva region. This year marks the 22nd year that readers of Metropolitan Magazine have voted for…

ORLAND PARK, Ill. (Nov. 1, 2016) — Orland School District 135 partnered with Cook-Illinois Corporation to add 79 Blue Bird Vision Propane buses that will help lower the district’s carbon footprint while reducing transportation costs. These propane-powered buses make up 80 percent of its school transportation fleet. “Cook-Illinois subsidiary, American School Bus Company, won the bid for our regular education bus services for the 2016-17 school year,” said Jerry Hughes, director of risk management and safety for Orland School District. “They presented the benefits of propane-fueled buses that really appealed to us.” Among those benefits, Hughes cites the propane buses’ start better in cold weather, heat up fast, and the removal of diesel fumes around the students and community helps to reduce health issues including…