Propane industry veterans launch MASS Cylinder Solutions
Two propane industry veterans with decades of experience in gas containment applications are back in “the game” with the formation of MASS Cylinder Solutions.
Mike Alexander and Steve Stump signed an exclusive North American sales agreement with EVAS, a global propane cylinder manufacturer based in Turkey and a division of SHV Energy.
Alexander and Stump cemented their working relationship in sales over decades at the former Worthington Industries. Alexander spent 42 years with the company. When he retired in 2018, he worked for about three years with specialty gas supplier Gas Innovations. Stump, meanwhile, followed his more than 20 years at Worthington with other roles in the energy industry, including about six years with Trinity Industries, a former manufacturer of propane containers.
Now, as partners and the vice presidents of sales, they will represent EVAS in North America, including in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
“Cylinders are what I know; cylinders are what I love,” Alexander says. “I’ve missed it. I miss the people; I miss the industry; I miss the game.”
Alexander and Stump, who are based in the Columbus, Ohio, area, pursued the opportunity with EVAS. Discussions and negotiations with the company’s management group only reinforced what they felt was “a perfect fit,” according to Alexander.
Alexander recounts a trip to Turkey earlier this year to view the EVAS facilities.
“Their facilities are extremely efficient, extremely clean, ISO qualified,” with the company having more than 60 years of manufacturing experience, he says. “They supply 70 countries from their facilities. It is truly a global cylinder manufacturer.”
In representing EVAS on a commercial level, Alexander says, MASS Cylinder Solutions will focus on customer service as they look to provide the industry with steel portable cylinders from 1-pound refillables to 100-pound containers. The cylinders will be competitively priced, he adds, and feature three coats of paint, including a zinc powder coat.
The company sees a niche in a U.S. propane cylinder market that numbers about 20 million units, with 5 million new 20-pound cylinders sold annually, Alexander explains.
One of its first big steps in the propane industry comes this week. MASS Cylinder Solutions will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo. The new company will greet show attendees in the EVAS booth (#1638).
“Steve and I are really excited about that,” Alexander says. “We’re opening the floodgate; it’s time to go.”
In addition to its focus on North America, EVAS produces cylinders for customers in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.