Cayman Islands retailer provides fuel in a challenging environment

Clean Gas. Photo courtesy of Clean Gas.

Propane is a vital fuel in the aftermath of a hurricane, such as Hurricane Ivan, which hit the Cayman Islands in 2004 as a Category 5 storm. It was in the wake of this storm that Dayne Brady made his way to the islands to help Home Gas, then the only propane retailer on the island, get back on its feet.

After serving at Home Gas for about seven years, Brady went back to the U.S. for three-and-a-half years before returning to the Caribbean, a place where he feels like he can truly make a change in the propane industry by bringing competition into the market and offering energy assistance to the region.

Brady did not return to Home Gas, however. He now serves as operations manager at Clean Gas, which was founded in 2016 and is Home Gas’ only competitor on the Cayman Islands.

“I joined Home Gas right after Hurricane Ivan and it was able to grow based on the business model I put together,” he says. “But now it’s a whole different market. Now I’m bringing competition into the market which gives it a chance to reduce its costs to do business for the consumer. By coming in as a competitor, we are able to lower the price a little bit.”

As one of only two propane companies on the island, Clean Gas aims to provide the best customer service to ensure customer loyalty.

“Before, they never had a place to go; you just had to keep making marks,” Brady says. “Now there is competition. I have to be smart. What we do in customer service has to be spot on because there are no do-overs.”

According to Brady, there has to be some flexibility with the customer in a market like the Cayman Islands. Every customer is will-call, making it difficult to set up delivery days. Additionally, many of Clean Gas’ customers work 45-hour workweeks, so it is important to have flexible delivery times.

If customers are challenged to make their payments, they have only one other retailer option. It’s important, Brady says, to have some latitude in working with these customers so they have a chance to show loyalty in return.

Though running a propane company on an island is a unique challenge, the knowledge Brady has gained during his years in the industry through participating in the NPGA’s Benchmarking Council and working with different marketers in the U.S. has helped him successfully establish Clean Gas.

According to Brady, the challenges of operating on a Caribbean island are too vast to list because every day presents something new, with no room for error. One of the consistent challenges Clean Gas faces, though, is tank corrosion.

“It’s amazing to watch what the salt does in consistent heat and humidity,” Brady says. “We put a corrosion block on our tanks. You only get about a year’s protection out of it, so you have to go back and reapply. ”

Clean Gas’ storage tanks are not immune to corrosion, despite being underground. Impressed current is used to protect the tanks, which hold a total of 300,000 gallons, from deterioration. Mounded storage ensures the tanks aren’t impacted by severe weather or high heat.

LPG Ventures, a company specializing in storage tanks, piping kits, new tank construction, piers and equipment, worked with Brady to design and develop the facility.

Founded: August 2016
Headquarters: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Employees: 6
Bobtails: 2
Primary Propane Applications: Cooking and water heating
Website: clangs.ky