LP Gas Hall of Fame unveils Class of 2024

Propane industry leaders from two retail companies, a codes and standards expert from a national association, and a staunch safety and training advocate comprise the 2024 class of the LP Gas Hall of Fame.

LP Gas will honor Joe and Rosie Buschur of McMahan’s Bottle Gas, Randy Doyle of MAPCO/Thermogas, Bruce Swiecicki of the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and Mike Walters of Superior Energy Systems during an induction dinner and ceremony April 4, prior to the NPGA’s Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 11th class of the Hall of Fame was chosen by an anonymous selection committee, composed of past and present leaders of the industry and LP Gas staff, following an open nomination process.

Joe and Rosie Buschur – McMahan’s Bottle Gas

The Buschurs have made their presence felt at every level of the industry since taking ownership of McMahan’s Bottle Gas in 1979. The couple joined the Ohio Propane Gas Association (OPGA) that same year, with Joe serving as a director before making his way through the chairs and becoming president in 1998-99. He also became Ohio’s state director to NPGA, a position he held for nearly 16 years before relinquishing it this year. He was twice named State Director of the Year. Meanwhile, Joe told LP Gas in 2020, “Rosie has steadily been by my side for decades, both at the state and national level.” Some of their greatest impacts have been felt in the Ohio statehouse and in the nation’s capital, where they have formed close relationships with elected officials. They have rallied OPGA members to unite and participate in meetings with congressional leaders during NPGA’s Propane Days lobbying event in Washington, D.C. They also have consistently supported the industry’s political action and scholarship committees. Joe and Rosie Buschur will become the first couple to enter the Hall of Fame.

Randy Doyle – MAPCO/Thermogas

A propane industry veteran of more than 40 years, Randy Doyle started his career as an internal audit manager at MAPCO/Thermogas in 1981. In that time, he has become one of the industry’s biggest supporters and loudest critics. If you want to know where the industry stands, ask Doyle, who for two decades expressed his views in a column for LP Gas. He became an active and outspoken industry member who has served in many volunteer roles for NPGA, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and several state propane associations, most recently with Virginia. One of his most significant accomplishments was co-founding the NPGA Benchmarking Council, an avenue for propane marketers to learn from one another, in 1996. He served as its first chair and developed the resources to help it thrive. Doyle, a consultant for Holtzman Propane after retiring as CFO of Blossman Gas, co-authored research on long-term consolidation and its impact on the health of the industry. He also researched factors shaping the industry for the next decade. In recent years, he has undertaken a lead role in a hydronic heating project created to protect the residential market and keep propane relevant amid electrification.

Bruce Swiecicki – NPGA

Since NPGA hired him 30 years ago, Bruce Swiecicki, vice president and chief technical officer, has worked to modernize and enhance industry codes and standards for the safe use of propane. When he’s not lending his expertise at propane industry events or writing code text, Swiecicki is representing NPGA on numerous regulatory bodies. The Chicago native contributes to 11 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) committees, including NFPA 58 and NFPA 54. He’s also active in ANSI Z21/83, the International Codes Council and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers. In all, he oversees NPGA’s work on more than 30 national and international codes and standard-setting bodies. Among the propane industry safety advancements to which Swiecicki has contributed: He helped with the adoption of two-stage regulation for vapor service in 1995; helped create the requirements for the overfill prevention device in 1998; assisted in developing the requirement for internal valves in large containers in 2001; and, more recently, helped introduce self-service autogas refueling to the International Fire Code in 2015, subsequently followed by NFPA 58 in 2024. Swiecicki’s honest efforts to advance safety have earned him the respect of propane industry members but also those outside the industry who hold varied interests, allowing him to drive consensus-based change for propane.

Mike Walters – Superior Energy Systems

Mike Walters never intended to be in the propane industry. Schooled at the New York State Academy of Fire Science and in the advanced life support paramedic program at Syracuse University, the New York native seemed destined for a career in the fire service. All that changed when, having moved to California, he accepted a bobtail driving position with Pargas in the late 1970s. Nearly 45 years later, Walters is recognized as one of the propane industry’s most respected safety and training professionals and subject matter experts. His safety career began in 1993 when AmeriGas promoted him from retail management to Northeast region safety director; he also became involved with safety from an industrywide perspective. He’s a charter member and past chair of PERC’s Safety and Training Advisory Committee (now the safety and technical training working group). He’s been heavily involved with the industry’s Certified Employee Training Program (CETP), now working with PERC on creating, updating and transitioning that content into a modularized, function-based program. In fact, his contributions to CETP impact all propane industry employees who are educated through that training. Walters also has volunteered his time to numerous NFPA and NPGA committees and codes and standards groups, as well as state propane associations. He’s currently secretary of the OPGA. He received the NPGA Safety Award in 2018.