Lock’s Mill Propane purchases Three Rivers Propane

Three Rivers Propane of Linn, Missouri, sold its assets and business operations to Lock’s Mill Propane of Loose Creek, Missouri.

The sale became effective Dec. 1, with Three Rivers Propane customer accounts turned over to Lock’s Mill Propane on Nov. 30. Three Rivers and Lock’s Mill will work together to make the transition as smooth as possible, says Roger Kloeppel, CEO of Three Rivers Electric Cooperative.

Three Rivers Propane was formed in 2000 when Three Rivers Electric Cooperative purchased Knoerr Propane. Eric Thompson sold Knoerr Propane to Three Rivers Electric Cooperative in 2000 and continued to manage the company until he retired in 2017, at which time local business owner Gary Norment took over as Three Rivers Propane manager.

Three Rivers Propane grew from 800 tanks to more than 2,000 tanks, and added a second bulk plant and third delivery driver, offering service to customers in Osage, Gasconade, Miller and Cole counties in Missouri.

At the time Three Rivers Propane formed, company officials say, offering propane was a trend in the energy industry due to the emergence of large energy suppliers during deregulation in the late 1990s. Electric cooperatives were encouraged to diversify their energy portfolio and to provide energy offerings in addition to electricity. Three Rivers Electric Cooperative was the last electric cooperative in Missouri to still own interest in a propane subsidiary.

Lock’s Mill Propane was established in 2000 by Warren Haslag, and the company has a footprint in a territory similar to Three Rivers Propane.

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