In the Know is a monthly partnership between LP Gas Magazine and Propane Resources. Our focus this month is on acquisitions, addressed by financial consultant and business valuations and sales expert Tamera Kovacs. Q. In today’s propane market, what are the most important factors retailers must consider in order to sell their business? A. The reasons owners seek to sell their... read more
Hess Corp. completed an expansion of its gas plant in Tioga, N.D., and was joined at a special event commemorating the expansion by a group of government officials that included Gov. Jack Dalrymple, R-N.D., and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. According to a press release, Hess doubled the operational capacity of its Tioga facility. The project was part of a $1.5... read more
Iowa Mold Tooling Co. Inc. (IMT) added Custom Vehicle Solutions to its distributor network. Custom Vehicle Solutions, headquartered in Denton, Texas, with additional operations in Houston, serves IMT customers from north Texas to south Arkansas, as well as those in north and southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas. Custom Vehicle Solutions now offers IMT equipment such as mechanics trucks, telescopic cranes,... read more
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7UHapoKNW8&w=640&h=385] The 2014 LP Gas Hall of Fame induction ceremony honored five outstanding men who left their mark on the industry. If you weren’t there, here’s your chance to see what you missed. The LP Gas Hall of Fame launched in propane’s centennial year (2012) as a way to honor the legends, icons and leaders who have helped establish, advance... read more
As I write this article, we are seeing the last remnants of a recent snowfall melt away outside my window. Even in Wisconsin, snow in mid-April is somewhat unusual, although I have seen it as late as early May. But as we shake off the last days of this historically cold winter, we must take stock of lessons learned and... read more
Pembina Pipeline Corp. reached an agreement to proceed with constructing a 55,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) propane-plus fractionator at its existing fractionation and storage complex in Redwater, Alberta. Pembina expects the fractionator – Redwater’s third – to be in-service in the third quarter of 2017. According to a press release, Pembina’s first fractionator currently has an operating capacity of 73,000 bpd. It is, however,... read more
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the second-largest school district in Ohio, plans to replace 49 diesel buses with Blue Bird‘s Propane Vision buses for the 2014-15 school year. The school district is also adding an autogas fueling station. According to a press release, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District purchased Type C school buses from Cardinal Bus Sales, Ohio’s Blue Bird... read more
One of the hardest things every company has to deal with is culture. Culture isn’t something you can order online or negotiate from another vendor in hopes of getting a better deal. Day in and day out, it’s amassed whether you like it or not. It can be as subtle as a gentle breeze or as brass as a punch... read more
TankLink introduced ProLink, a subscription-based data service for propane distributors to implement tank level monitoring without a hardware expense. According to a press release, ProLink delivers data such as level, usage history, alerts, alarms and notifications. Data is delivered to a computer, smartphone, tablet or other device, and a subscription to ProLink includes a free battery replacement. Photo: TankLink read more
A January blizzard is in full effect, bringing 2 feet of snow, sub-zero temperatures and wind chills that can be felt to your bones. The snowstorm motivates propane customers – fearing the loss of home heating – to venture into the cold and check the level of propane in their tanks. Many customers are shocked by their discovery – a... read more
