2015-16 State of the Industry: Insurance anxieties

Government regulation, natural gas expansion and other forms of competition are among the issues that keep propane retailers up at night these days.

Rising insurance costs are in the mix as a factor that keeps retailers up, as well.

“Insurance other than labor is our single biggest cost,” says Brandon Hewett, owner of J&J Gas Service in Mayo, Fla. “The cost of insurance is going astronomically high. You have to maintain a certain number of gallons, and unfortunately you have to pass that on to the customer.”

Randy Sams, another Florida retailer who owns Sams Gas in Orlando, puts insurance near the top of his list of business concerns.

“Liability insurance issues, lawsuits and those sorts of things [are concerns],” Sams says. “It’s just fighting off the ambulance chasers for minor accidents.”