TJ Johnson, president & CEO at Eco Power Equipment, grew up around construction equipment rental yards and fabrication shops.
“Turning wrenches and solving field problems came early,” TJ says. “I spent a decade in the rental and industrial distribution space, rotating through roles in service, sales, product management and eventually general management.”
Those years exposed TJ to the recurring pain points contractors faced with power, heat and lighting on remote sites — especially in Canada’s extreme cold. As CEO, TJ acquired a majority stake in Cavalier Industries in 2015 and launched its Eco Power Equipment Division.
“Subsequently, as a partner and investor in Hybrid Light Solutions, I spearheaded the opening of its U.S. assembly and service hub in Minnesota,” he says. “Today, I lead the team at Cavalier while providing operational direction at Hybrid Light Solutions, with our combined teams totaling 50 people serving clients worldwide.”
In one of two nominations for TJ as a 2025 Industry Innovator, a nominator shared about TJ’s commitment to better fuel: “Eco Power builds power generators and heaters, natural gas and propane in Canada. TJ has always focused on quality and value as they sell into the rental market. He’s against diesel and always has been.”
According to TJ, the creation of Eco Power’s mobile, propane-powered generators started with one of their largest propane rental partners sharing a frustration in a meeting.
“Their business ground to a halt every summer,” TJ explains. “Without demand for temporary heating, they were parking bobtails, laying off drivers and struggling with the seasonality of the model. We asked, ‘What about power generation?’ They said, ‘If you can build it, we’ll buy the first one and help launch it.’ “Two months later, we showed up with a prototype on a trailer,” TJ continues. “True to their word, they bought the first unit and that kicked off our journey into propane-powered generators.”
Adoption was accelerated with the tightening of Tier 4 diesel emissions regulations combined with constant issues like wet stacking in low-load diesel applications.
“Customers were consistently looking for a cleaner, more reliable alternative,” TJ says, citing data-backed storytelling as the best way to position propane as a prominent, viable fuel for the future.
He shares that grassroots sales execution, partnerships and strategic collaboration with propane marketers have helped move volume, expand awareness and solve customer pain points together. TJ believes innovation is practical creativity that ships new ideas that reach the field, lower costs, reduce emissions, and improve uptime and performance. As a key innovator in the industry, TJ is sure to continue turning creativity into new avenues of exploration.
