Paraco Gas CEO publishes book

Joe Armentano with his newly-published book (Photo by Paula Saraiva)

Joe Armentano, the CEO of propane retailer Paraco Gas, has published a book. It is titled, “A Helluva Ride: How a Father-Son Family Business Overcame Crisis To Achieve the American Dream.”

A portion of the book proceeds will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America.

The book is a tribute to his father, Pat Armentano, who died in February 2010. It reflects on Pat’s personality and passion for life, and details their journey of building the business together for more than 40 years.

Pat started Patsems Inc. in 1968 as a welding supply and industrial gas business from a small garage in Mount Vernon, New York. The company would later become Paraco and enter the propane industry in 1979 with the purchase of a small family business in Peekskill, New York.

Based in Rye Brook, New York, Paraco serves several Northeastern states, and has more than 425 employees and 28 locations. In the past 40 years, the company has acquired 53 companies, mainly independent, family-owned propane companies.