For James “Jimmy” Leach — regional area manager for Paraco Gas Corporation’s Long Island, New York, operations — innovation in the propane industry hinges on the next generation. With more than 30 years of experience in the propane industry, starting with preparing and painting tanks for Vitale Bottled Gas in 1992, Leach has established an apprenticeship and mentorship program through Paraco with the aim of educating and promoting young people interested in propane.
The apprenticeship program recruits recent high school and community college graduates with an interest in propane. The program lasts for a full year, with apprentices receiving their hazmat certification, commercial driver’s licenses and infield training.
“Within that year, we get them into their own truck to become service technicians,” Leach said.
The apprenticeship program grew out of a need on Long Island to bring in “new blood” as technicians retire. Leach reacted quickly, creating an attractive program with upward mobility at Paraco. The program he created also focuses on culture fit over experience.
“I wanted to hire for attitude and personality,” he said. “I don’t need [the apprentices] to know anything. I pick people who will work with [the culture] of the company and of a particular location.”
In 2024, Paraco implemented a mentorship program, which is available to all employees, including new apprentices. Leach said those in the program are paired up with a more senior employee to act as a sounding board.
“The next phase is I have some of the employees come in and shadow with me,” he said. “This gives them a feel of what the next step might be if they’re interested in management.”
Leach said Paraco’s chief executives, Joe Armentano and Christina Armentano, have built a great working relationship with him and supported his efforts to bring up new talent within the company and industry. The mentorship program grew as Leach realized that he and other supervisors were quickly nearing retirement.
“It’s very hard to replace 30 years of experience,” he said. “You can’t just hire somebody off the street for that. … And a lot of people say they’re interested, until they see what the job is. The idea is to get them in here and let them see what [management does] during the day, the other side of the business. You know, the phone calls, the people yelling, the deliveries that need to be done and everything in between.”
Another motivator for Leach to mentor was his own experience moving into management, where he faced a steep learning curve on how to manage well.
“I don’t want somebody else to be in that position,” he said.
As the propane industry heads into the future, Leach said he wants to see more standardized training for technicians and installers. He said he would love to see a program in technical schools similar to Paraco’s apprenticeship program.
“Teaching and learning is a constant process, but when [the older technicians] are gone, who’s going to do that? If we don’t start fixing that part of it now, I think the whole industry is going to suffer,” Leach said.
