Fifth annual LP Gas Growth Summit builds propane partnerships

More than 70 attendees from about 40 companies engaged in an assortment of propane industry networking opportunities at this year’s LP Gas Growth Summit, held at Reunion Resort, outside Orlando, Florida.

Photo by Ellen Kriz

The unique networking event, now in its fifth year, brought together retail propane decision-makers and propane industry partners for two days of one-on-one business meetings, educational opportunities and other networking and recreational events. The magazine aims to help propane retailers improve their business operations, grow gallons across markets and build lasting partnerships.

“It has been a great experience. I’ve had the opportunity to exchange ideas with professionals that can help me grow my business in a way that I could have never imagined,” says Damian Lopez, general manager of Sigma Gas.

Retail propane companies from across the United States, as well as from the Cayman Islands and the Dominican Republic, attended the Growth Summit. They met with 16 partners: ADD Systems, Anova, Bergquist, Blue Cow Software, Cargas Systems, Energy Tree, Gray, Gray & Gray, Hiab USA, Industrial-Irrigation, IPS, Otodata, Propane Management Systems, Signature Truck Systems, Tank Utility, Tiger Payment Solutions and VFG Leasing & Finance.

The first day’s events included boardroom presentations, in which partners provided quick-hitting overviews of what they offer to the propane industry, and an evening pool-side welcome reception. One-on-one meetings between propane retailers and vendor partners took place over the two mornings of the Growth Summit. The group also enjoyed a golf scramble on Reunion Resort’s Watson Course, followed by a barbecue dinner.

“The one-on-one meetings are terrific. I met a lot of people that I think can become customers of ours. We’ve done a good job learning about their businesses, and that’s going to help us progress our product even more,” says Warren Van Wyck, general manager of Propane Management Systems.

This year’s featured speaker was Mike Sloan, the managing director for ICF’s Natural Gas and Liquids Advisory Services Group. Sloan has been providing market analytics and regulatory support for the propane industry since 2004, and he has 35 years of experience consulting in the energy field.

Sloan presented ICF data indicating a decline in demand for propane over the past 15 years, but he emphasized that aggressive market development could reverse that trajectory.

“I can envision a growth path that adds a billion or two billion gallons of propane to the market over the next 10 years or so,” said Sloan.

Attendees also participated in morning roundtables on key topics such as autogas, customer issues and supply concerns.

“With another extremely successful LP Gas Growth Summit in the books, we continue to be very proud to produce an industry-exclusive event that successfully pairs propane retailers and our partners to help grow gallons and improve propane operations. We look forward to our 2020 Summit so we can continue our efforts to make our industry the best it can be,” says Brian Kanaba, publisher of LP Gas.

*Featured image of Reunion Resort: LP Gas