LPG Spotlight: Two generations dedicated to France Propane Service

September 23, 2026 By Bob Sandrick 0 Comments

Patrick, left, and Gary France. (Photo by Dave Junion – Junion Photography)

When Gary France graduated college in 1972, he knew he wanted to devote his career to the family business in Wausau, Wisconsin.

The company – created by his father, Elmer France, in 1958 as France Sales & Service – provided plumbing and electrical services, installed heating systems and delivered propane.

France became an apprentice with the Wisconsin Propane Gas Association (WPGA) so that he could obtain his propane license. He learned a lot but believed he could improve the apprentice program.

That’s exactly what France told WPGA officials. Next thing he knew, he was chairman of WPGA’s education committee.

“They said, ‘If you think you can do it better, then do it,’” France recalls. “I accepted the challenge.”

France didn’t stop there. In 1982, he joined the WPGA board of directors, representing District 2, and was WPGA president in 1993. He has also served on the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) board of directors since 2002 and was board chairman during the propane supply crisis of 2013-14.

“I don’t regret any of the hours I spent in association work,” says Gary, 76, who received NPGA’s Distinguished Service Award this year. “It definitely took time away from the family, but it’s something that has been rewarding to me and I enjoyed it.”

France’s son Patrick France shares that industry spirit. When his father stepped down from the WPGA board in April after a 44-year tenure, Patrick was elected to the same position and is now serving his own three-year term.

Patrick, who works with his dad at the family propane business, previously was a member of the Wisconsin Propane Education and Research Council, but his term there ended earlier this year. He felt a need to stay involved.

“It’s important to be an advocate for the industry,” says Patrick, 47. “This is our livelihood.”

The father and son, in addition to their association work, have grown and developed their company. In 1990, Gary separated the propane side of France Sales & Service and formed France Propane Service, headquartered in Schofield, Wisconsin. Over the past few years, France Propane has added plants in Kronenwetter and Merrill, Wisconsin, and has grown from about three or four employees to nine.

Patrick worked part time for France Propane while in high school and college, but for the first 12 years of his full-time career, he worked in banking. As a banker, Patrick met a lot of business owners and found their lives and stories more interesting than his own. That’s why he decided to return to France Propane full time.

“It is riskier when you’re in a small business,” Patrick says. “It’s not always easy every day, but it’s a challenge. I wanted to get back into that kind of atmosphere.”

Company profile: France Propane Service

Year founded // France Sales & Service 1958; France Propane Service spun off 1990
Headquarters // Schofield, Wisconsin
Founder(s) // Elmer France founded France Sales & Service; Gary and brother Gerald established France Propane Service
Owners // Gary and Patrick France
Total number of employees // 9
Online // francepropane.com