People on the Move….In Memoriam

Rinnai (Peachtree City, Ga.) has recently made several leadership changes. Takashi (Tak) Sonoda, president of Rinnai America, has been promoted to corporate auditor at the company’s headquarters in Nagoya, Japan. He has been with Rinnai for 40 years. Yuzo Yoshida, Rinnai’s director and senior managing executive officer and general manager of overseas business, is the newly named president of Rinnai America.

Frank Windsor, Rinnai America’s general manager, has been promoted to COO, and will report directly to Yoshida. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Rinnai America and the company’s continued growth.

Ryan Sitton, commissioner, Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), announced Katie McKee has been named director of public affairs, with responsibility for leading the development and implementation of a strategic outreach and public relations plan. Her primary goal is communicating the work of the Railroad Commission to the people of Texas on behalf of commissioner Sitton.

Mark Crone has joined Energy Distribution Partners (EDP; Chicago) as general manager for Lyons LP Gas, which serves residential, commercial, and agricultural customers in Ohio and Michigan. In addition to maintaining the current residential and agriculture markets in the service areas, he will be responsible for growing the company’s industrial and commercial business segments. Crone has nearly 20 years of industry experience, having managed all operational aspects of propane operations in Michigan and Ohio. He began his career at Ferrellgas as a district manager.

The Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association has selected its officers for 2016-2017. Dan Balmer of Penn Valley Gas (Telford) has been elected president; Harold Sweet, Modern Gas Sales Inc., president elect; Beth Donovan, AmeriGas Propane (Etters), vice president; Ken Lundy, Swenson Fuels (New Bloomfield), secretary; and Mark Delehanty, Independence Propane (Green Lane), treasurer.

IN MEMORIUM:

Dan Blake of Jomar Valve (Warren, Mich.) passed away June 25. He was 66. A well-known figure in the industry, Mr. Blake traveled the country for nearly 40 years calling on customers.Keith Patterson, a longtime member of the propane industry, died June 20 at the age of 65.

Mr. Patterson began his career in the propane industry in 1979 when he joined Northern Propane Gas. He continued to work with Buckeye and then Ferrellgas before joining Dart Propane in 1990. He retired as president of Dart Propane in 2008. Mr. Patterson served as president of the Michigan Propane Gas Association in 2004.

(published week of 8/5/16)