How the LP Gas Buyers Guide has evolved since 1944

Did you know that the LP Gas Buyers Guide has existed since 1944?

That’s 82 years – and amazing to consider that propane industry businesses have received the printed directory across eight decades.

When the Buyers Guide debuted in February of that year, it was known as the “LP-Gas Buying Guide & Directory,” and LP Gas distributed the guide to about 2,000 subscribers and 3,000 additional LP gas operators. (We’re more than doubling that total distribution count on the print side today.)

Many of the messages appearing in the Buyers Guide at that time still hold true today. For example, the very first guide was touted as “a publishing event of great importance to LP gas dealers and distributors.” A tagline on the first page described the guide as “a handy, convenient, time-saving list of manufacturers of appliances, equipment and supplies for LP gas producers, distributors and dealers.”

That’s still how we view the Buyers Guide today. It really is a year-round resource for propane retailers who seek specific products, equipment or other solutions for their operations.

▶ Similar feel, larger scope

That original Buyers Guide, which totaled about 16 pages, listed product categories alphabetically, under which appeared the companies providing them. A small section of trade and brand names of those products followed.

The format today has a similar feel but with a much larger scope. The product categories, now found under the equipment/services section, are sandwiched between a manufacturers/service providers section and an equipment distributors section. So, propane retailers are guaranteed to find what they’re looking for across these comprehensive sections, which now encompass about 60 pages.

While companies have come and gone through the years, several familiar names jump out from that 1944 edition: Fisher, RegO and Rochester. Ads for all three companies fill the weathered pages, though with some changes to their identities.

Fisher’s LPG regulators (now part of Emerson) were a product of Fisher Governor Co. out of Marshalltown, Iowa. RegO’s LP gas equipment (now part of OPW) was a product of Bastian-Blessing out of Chicago. And Rochester Gauges (now Rochester Sensors, an Amphenol company) were a product of Rochester Manufacturing Co. out of Rochester, New York.

▶ Wartime considerations

While it’s interesting to parse through the original Buyers Guide, the rest of that issue grabs our attention too.

War references were big in an issue that featured a Warren Petroleum Corp. refinery cover photo. War news received its own section of editorial.

In addition, some of the equipment and appliance manufacturers advertised their products alongside details about their roles in war production. One range and heater manufacturer teased their “gradual but increasing release of consumer goods.” In the same ad, it reminded readers that it “continues to make vital parts for guns, tanks and ships to speed V-Day.”

Companies were trying to build momentum for post-war opportunities. It seems the magazine’s leaders at the time thought the Buyers Guide would help the industry navigate a brighter future as well.

Let us know your thoughts about the 2026 version of the guide. It’s come a long way since the 1940s (it’s even online at lpgasbuyersguide.com), but we’re always striving to meet the needs of our readers. We’d love to hear from you.

Featured homepage image: LP Gas staff

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