At age 26, Alicia Stavitzski, marketing coordinator for Heller’s Gas headquartered in Pennsylvania, has set her sights on the propane industry after starting her career in professional services. With no prior knowledge of propane, Stavitzski stepped into a new position in 2019 at Heller’s Gas where she was tasked with not only developing her role, but also learning the industry. Heller’s Gas provides her with the tools and resources to help her succeed, including being open to new ideas. In addition, several women in leadership at Heller’s Gas are great role models.
“I’m someone who likes to expand the boundaries of their career. I previously worked in insurance, law, and then politics and thought propane would be an industry that came with new opportunities to learn and expand my skill set,” Stavitzski said. “Little did I know how much I would come to love this industry. A lot like other industries that I have marketed, propane offered the opportunity to evolve marketing into the 21st century, which is something I believe that I, as a young professional, can bring to the table at Heller’s Gas.”
As marketing coordinator, Stavitzski oversees the marketing, branding, and community outreach efforts for all Heller’s Gas locations. Heller’s Gas supplies propane products and custom fireplaces to residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
“My opinions are valued, no one speaks over me in meetings, and I’m given the authority and respect to make decisions for the direction of marketing operations,” she said.
Heller’s Gas also values the role of women in leadership. “There are no obstacles to being a woman in my role or any leadership role within this company. There are countless examples of women who have worked for Heller’s Gas longer than myself who have worked their way up the ladder.”
While Stavitzski lives in Lake Harmony in the Poconos, she works in Heller’s Gas’ Berwick location, not far from where she grew up and where her parents and sister still live. With a business degree focusing on marketing and communications from Misericordia University, she headed off to work in Philadelphia. A desire to be closer to home and the appeal of working for a family-owned company brought Stavitzski to Heller’s Gas.
“My course load in college prepared me to wear multiple hats for one job,” she said. “Most importantly, my involvement with sports teams in college prepared me to find my role within a team, whether it be a leader or a team player, to achieve our team’s final goal.”
When she joined Heller’s Gas, Stavitzski said she did her best to travel to all the offices and meet her team members. “One of my team members, Bradley Breisch, has been with Heller’s Gas for 34 years. He delivered propane to some of our long-time customers, and, to me that is just remarkable. Hearing his stories about how life in propane was back then makes me appreciate his time in the industry and the industry as a whole. He helped me come to the realization that I love this company, what they stand for, and where they are headed in the future.”
Working at Heller’s Gas also allows for Stavitzski to have a good work-life balance. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, and going on long walks with her boyfriend and her dog, Manny. A time-management pro, she is a volunteer with several organizations: volunteer firefighter and secretary for Lake Harmony Fire Company, member of the Miles Cancer Foundation, member of the Wilkes University Upward Bound Alumni Association, and member of the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center Craft Advisory Committee.
Receiving her certification as a volunteer firefighter this year after about 240 hours of PA Essentials of Fire Fighting and Firefighter I Training, is one of her greatest accomplishments.
“I have never had more joy from being a member of an organization. Even if we aren’t putting out a fire, we might have a call come in for an accident on the interstate, or a search and rescue at a nearby state park. It gives me great joy to know that I am there to help during a time of panic in someone’s life,” she said. “Being a firefighter is never something I set out to do in my life, or ever something I’ve contemplated doing, but it’s something that brought me great joy in a dark year that was 2020.”
