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People

People news from the propane industry, including appointments, promotions, awards and profiles of LPG professionals.

  • Women In Propane: After 60 Years, She Still Does Business the Old-Fashioned Way

    In an era of when businesses are becoming increasingly tech savvy, upgrading their systems and connecting with customers through multiple platforms—email, texting, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter—Lorraine Ross, owner of Conejos Propane in La Jara, Colo., continues to succeed after 60 years “the old-fashioned way.” Neither Lorraine, 95, nor her two employees, including her son, Dick, own a computer. A shrewd and financially successful businesswoman, according to her son, she tries to get to know her 1500 customers. She enthusiastically greets customers who regularly visit and call. For some, she is like almost like a grandmother offering kindly advice. Propane orders are taken over the phone or in person and tracked with tickets she generates by pen and pencil. The tickets are then delivered to customers with…
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  • Propane People “In The News”…

    Caleb Warner has joined Bergquist Inc. (Toledo, Ohio) as its new area sales manager for Iowa, Missouri, and parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska . He replaces David Webb, who is retiring . Prior to joining Bergquist, Warner spent seven years in various positions at Ferrellgas. Most recently, he was a senior area product coordinator, overseeing bulk product movement from West Coast Ferrellgas and Blue Rhino operations. He also has previous sales and customer service experience outside the propane industry. Jim Schwartzfisher has joined the customer care team at Bergquist Inc. (Toledo, Ohio) in the recently created position of customer support specialist for remote tank monitoring . Working closely with the company’s two remote tank monitoring sales specialists, he will utilize his knowledge of…
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  • Women In Propane: Kimmie Marler Likes to Come Out of Her Comfort Zone

    Kimmie Marler was working at Timberline Steakhouse & Grill in Wichita, Kan. in 2002 when the owner asked her to help open up and train the employees for a new restaurant he was launching — Freddy’s Frozen Custard. Kimmie not only launched three more Freddy’s restaurants (there are now more than 300 nationwide), but her own career in training and development. As the east region customer service manager for ThompsonGas located in Decatur, Ala., Marler is responsible for coaching and developing approximately 100 frontline customer service representatives located in 68 offices across eight states. “I fell in love with coaching and developing and carry it into my personal life. It’s a way to do more,” she said. She transitioned her skills in customer service and management from…
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  • People Best Part of the Business, Says 44-Year Industry Veteran

    Jack Culbertson held many positions in the propane industry and enjoyed them all, but his favorite part of the business was always the people. He retired late August 2018 capping his nearly 44-year career. Culbertson retired from Van Unen Miersma Propane in Ripon, Merced, and Goshen, Calif. He was with the company for the past 23 years. There, he had been a manager, regional manager, safety director, and then assistant operations manager. “That means I’ll do whatever they need done,” he says with a laugh. Van Unen Miersma was the sixth propane company Culbertson worked for. During his time in the industry, he worked in four states and was at various times a driver, serviceman, manager, salesman, instructor, and safety director. Culbertson’s career began in…
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  • Propane People “In The News”…

    The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) recently named a number of new directors to its board . Stephen Kossuth of AmeriGas Propane LP in Houston is Propane Supply & Logistics chairman , and Bob Wallace of Admiral Propane (Marysville, Tenn.) Member Services chairman. Bob Paul of RegO (Elon, N.C.) has taken on the responsibilities of Manufacturers section director . Newly named state directors include Thomas Tarantin of Tarantin Industries (Freehold, N.J.), New Jersey state director; Andy Wise of ThompsonGas LLC (Columbiana, Ala.), Alabama state director; Ryan Buller of McMinnville Gas Inc. (McMinnville, Ore.), Oregon state director; David Long, Long’s Propane Gas LLC (Marlette, Mich.), Michigan state director; Billy Ray Prince, Pinnacle Propane (North Little Rock, Ark.), Arkansas director; and Kara Tucker of Koppy’s Propane Inc….
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  • Propane People “In The News”…

    The Arkansas Propane Gas Association recently installed its officers for the 2018-2019 term. Drew Craft of Craft Propane (Jonesboro) will serve as president; Tom Blackwood of Simmons Energy Solutions (Decatur), past president; Sherrill Hayes of AmeriGas (Batesville), vice president; and Donnie Rhea of AmeriGas (Plumerville), secretary/treasurer. District directors include Marcus Felker, Danmar Propane (Crawfordsville), and Wes Wilkerson, Pinnacle Propane (Pocahontas), district 1; Ed Williams, Pinnacle Propane (Mountain Pine), and Tommy Vanaman, AmeriGas (North Little Rock), district 2; William Simons, AmeriGas (Mountain Home), and Gregg Luebbring, Tyson Gas (Springdale), district 3; and Tom Byrd, Ceba Gas Inc. (Murfreesboro), and Ray Still, Southern LP Gas (De Queen), district 4. At large member directors are Jim Burcham, Sungas Propane (Greenbrier); Ken Dewitt, AmeriGas (Wynne); David Perkins, Dealers LP…
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  • Women In Propane: Learning, Problem-Solving Leads to Successful Propane Career

    In the winter, Erin Hodgkins, director of heating fuels at Sandri Energy in Greenfield, Mass., cozies up on the weekends with spreadsheets. “For me, I’ll do spreadsheets for fun like some people do Sudokus. It’s relaxing. I have spreadsheets for everything,” Erin said. Her love of analytics combined with hard work is what helped launch her career in the propane industry more than two decades ago. The daughter of a math teacher, Erin was set to be an accountant, but she was having so much fun as a nanny for two children while taking classes that she decided to continue working for the family as the kids grew. She worked at the mother’s law firm and then spent time with the kids after school. After…
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  • 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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  • Women In Propane: Friends, Family, Traditions, and Propane All Interwoven

    It was the Fourth of July, and for the 38th year Carole Start was hosting a bash complete with food and live music for friends, family, and employees. Several people, among them employees, have come early to help set up. For Carole, president of All American Propane in Yakima, Wash., family, friends, traditions, career — and propane — are all interwoven. “I love the propane business. I think it’s wonderful. That’s why I don’t ever want to retire,” said Carole, who started All American Propane with her husband, Dick, 25 years ago. After his death last year, she became president. Now in her 70s, Carole was basically born into the propane industry. Her father was in the industry in Canada. It was through him she met her second husband,…
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  • Women in Propane Council Becomes National Chapter of a Global Network

    The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Women in Propane Council (WIP) has signed an agreement to become an official National Chapter of the Women in LPG Global Network (WINLPG), which is managed by the World LPG Association (WLPGA). WINLPG supports and helps empower women in the industry by providing leadership, coaching, mentoring, and role models to enable a change in organizational attitude to become more inclusive for all genders at all levels. As a National Chapter of WINLPG, WIP agrees to support WINLPG’s three pillars of objectives: support and retain women in the industry via a unique global network; promotion and advocacy via role models, case studies, international media, and events; and educate and attract women to the industry. WIP is a successful, existing network…
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  • Propane People “In The News”

    ADD Systems (Flanders, N.J.) has promoted Regina Balistreri to director of marketing . She joined ADD Systems in 1990 as a technical writer and then moved to the sales department as the West Coast sales representative in 1992. She left the firm in 1997 to further her education, and went on to work for Intel as a senior financial analyst. Balistreri returned to ADD Systems in 2015 as the project manager of ADD Systems’ enhanced marketing effort, taking responsibility for overseeing the development of the company’s new website and the creation of numerous marketing materials, including videos, white papers, and industry-focused webinars. Angus Monitoring Service LLC has named David Montgomery as its customer relationship manager . He will support Gremlin tank monitor clients in the…
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  • Women In Propane: When Change Feels Right, It’s a Breath of Fresh Air

    Sometimes you just know when something feels right. When Amanda Bacon walked into Palmer Gas & Oil (PGO) in Atkinson, N.H., having just been through a divorce and having a baby, she was ready for a change. So when applying to PGO, her attitude was, “I’ll just see what happens.” Now, almost four years later, as the company’s director of sales and marketing, she has found it to be a “real breath of fresh air.” PGO is a family-owned and -operated propane and fuel-oil delivery and service company. “PGO is unlike any company I have ever worked with,” she said. “To this day, when the leadership team sits in the boardroom, you cannot tell who is an owner, which I love. It shows we can…
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