Doug Auxier found success through his industry involvement

Doug Auxier, who ascended from his family propane business in Batavia, Ohio, to become an industry leader at the state, regional and national levels, died May 15 at the age of 73.

Auxier

Auxier sought industry involvement early in his career at Auxier Gas so he could share ideas and valuable information with others. Along the way, he filled key leadership roles. He was president of the Ohio Propane Gas Association in 1988-89, chairman of the National Propane Gas Association in 2003-04, and he served on the Propane Education & Research Council from 2005-10. He also was known for co-founding the Midwest Convention, serving as its first chairman.

“I think my success in business, along with my passion for the propane industry, has consistently increased because of my involvement with these associations,” Auxier told LP Gas in 2020. “They have all made me a better person. And I’ve gotten a lot more from them than I’ve ever given.”

On April 23, LP Gas magazine inducted Auxier into the LP Gas Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, where many of his family and friends gathered to support him. He received a standing ovation as he came to the podium and began with a story about how he received a donated lung.

“I didn’t tell you that for sympathy,” Auxier said. “I just told it to you so that maybe when you get the chance you’ll consider being an organ donor.”

Auxier thanked industry members who befriended him early on and took him “under their wing.” He recognized his friends in the industry, his family, and he thanked his employees, “who treat our business like it was theirs.”

“I’d like to say, as I’ve named all those people, how blessed I’ve been to be in meetings with them and to enjoy them,” he said.

Read Auxier’s obituary.