LPG Spotlight: Henley Propane

March 1, 2026 By Bob Sandrick 0 Comments

Brett Henley knows the propane industry from every possible angle.

His father, the late Edward Henley, established Henley Propane Inc. – a propane delivery, tank installation and cylinder exchange company – in 1964 in Manchester, Tennessee. The younger Henley has been involved in the family business for 38 years.

Over that time, Henley’s passion for the propane profession has ebbed and flowed, and sometimes he was simply burned out. His enthusiasm was boosted, however, in 2020 when his son-in-law, Garrett Sager, became co-owner of Henley Propane.

“Garrett has re-energized me and brought a fresh perspective and different outlooks on things,” Henley says. “It’s been a good partnership. We have different strengths at play.”

For the past several years, Henley and Sager have focused on increasing the number of their commercial clients, from large manufacturing plants to small diners and pizzerias.

As a result, Henley’s overall sales, in the residential and commercial markets combined, have risen by 110 percent since 2020, Henley and Sager say. Previously, about 30 to 40 percent of the company’s sales were on the commercial side. Today, it’s about 50 percent.

Commercial customers burn more gallons than residential customers, but that’s not the only reason for the sales increase. While residential customers use propane mostly for heat in the winter, manufacturing firms need the fuel year-round for forklifts and other equipment. Restaurants use propane for cooking.

“You can make a living at propane in winter when it’s cold, and lots of people use it for heat,” Henley says. “But you need commercial accounts to make it work through summer.”

Henley and Sager, to drum up more commercial sales, took advantage of the fact that Greater Nashville, of which they’re a part, is growing. That allowed them to expand their geographic area. They added staff and bought more vehicles.

Then they hit the streets. Henley and Sager attended chambers of commerce events, set up lunch meetings and expanded their business network. After signing a few more customers, things snowballed.

“Some of it came down to the fact that people like independent, family-owned businesses,” says Sager, a member of the Tennessee Propane Gas Association (TPGA) board of directors. “Once we started hammering commercial accounts, they just kept coming.”

Henley Propane also continues to diversify its services. Last year, the company began providing autogas through a dispenser for a school bus garage. It’s the first time it has done that for a school district.

“If it’s propane, we do it,” Sager explains. “We don’t limit ourselves.”

Meanwhile, new technology like tank monitors has helped the company become more efficient and has replaced software that only projected, sometimes incorrectly, when customers needed more fuel.

Sager says he knows, through his work with the TPGA, that the number of independent propane companies like Henley is decreasing. Larger companies are buying them out. He still believes in the smaller, locally owned firms.

“The work is hard, but it’s extremely rewarding,” he says.

Company Profile: Henley Propane

Year founded // 1964
Headquarters // Manchester, Tennessee
Founder // Edward Henley
Owners // Brett Henley and Garrett Sager
Annual propane gallon sales // About 1.3 million
Bobtails // 4
Number of Employees // 8 full time, 1 part time
Online // henleypropane.com