Minnesota retailer powers Super Bowl with propane

Photo courtesy of Quality Propane of Minnesota

Taking the windchill into consideration, the temperature in Minneapolis before kickoff for Super Bowl LII was expected to be 20 degrees below zero.

Despite subfreezing temperatures the night of the Super Bowl and throughout the week leading up to the NFL’s championship game, outdoor parties, events and tailgates still went off without a hitch, and Quality Propane of Minnesota, an Energy Distribution Partners (EDP) company, is largely to thank.

The retailer provided about 40,000 gallons of propane for power generators and heaters over Super Bowl weekend alone. During that week, the company provided about 20 tanks for food vendors, nearly 50 propane-powered heaters for the NFL Honors awards ceremony and a bevy of other propane services to dozens of other events.

General manager Jordan Landrum says the company fulfilled jobs for everything from official NFL events, to private parties in people’s backyards, to functions at bars and restaurants, and everything in-between.

Being contacted to fulfill these services at events comes with the company’s reputation, Landrum points out.

Landrum says it’s about answering the phone and getting someone to perform the job quickly and safely the first time. This mentality comes from a long history of successfully supplying fuel for events.

Russ Head, founder of Quality Propane of Minnesota and current national sales director at EDP, says the company got started with events in 2000 when it provided temporary heating, air-conditioning and power at the Metrodome for the Minnesota Vikings, Twins and the University of Minnesota while they were using the Metrodome as their primary playing field.

The company has also provided fuel for other events in the Twin Cities, such as the Red Bull Crashed Ice, the Twin Cities Marathon, the Polar Plunge and the U.S. Pond Hockey Championship. It was also a propane provider for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

The company also provides heating and power for the Vikings’ two outdoor practice fields. Since 2005, the company has set up two temporary bubbles around natural turf practice fields.

Planning and safety are of major concern for the company when it is working on large projects. Landrum says that for every hour of work, three hours go into planning. Additionally, FBI background checks and levels of high security at the Super Bowl caused, as Landrum puts it, a logistical nightmare, making planning even more of a priority.

Despite the long hours of planning and execution, these events are something both Head and Landrum hope continue to be a major factor for the business.

“Like any other business, you have segments,” Landrum explains. “This is just one of them. It has allowed us to diversify our product mix and be a more stable business overall.”

Quality Propane of Minnesota

Founded // 2000
Founders // Russ & Beverly Head, Ted Ewing & Jeff Graner (Kellogg, Minnesota branch)
Owners // Energy Distribution Partners
Headquarters // Burnsville, Minnesota
Employees // 25
Propane sales // 7.3 million