Propane Personality: David W. Lowe

David W. Lowe

Vice President of Sales
Pro Image Communications

Education

Albion College
Bachelor’s in Economics, Business Administration and Physical Education
Class of 1973

Work Experience

January 2009-Present
Pro Image Communications
⦁ Adviser/Vice President of Sales

2006-08
⦁ Owned a baseball training facility in Lansing, Michigan, working with youth,
high school and college teams as well as with the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league affiliate

2004-06
⦁ Offered his own consulting services

2001-03
Stanford LP Gas
⦁ Manager/General Manager

1998-2000
Star Gas
⦁ Business development and industry engagement

1975-87
LB&D Trucking
⦁ Managed the family’s livestock feed trucking business

1970-75
⦁ Worked for the New York Yankees
during and after college while working winters for the family’s propane and livestock feed trucking business

1965-98
Lowe Bros. & Dad
⦁ Worked odd jobs as a teenager and eventually became partial owner
of the family business

A propane family

Lowe grew up in the propane business. As a teenager, he scraped and painted tanks, mowed lawns, shoveled snow, eventually filled cylinders – all the odd jobs – for the family’s retail business, Lowe Bros. and Dad, which served the Lansing, Michigan, area for 50 years. He eventually became a partial owner with his brother before selling to Star Gas in 1998. The family also ran transports for about 20 years.

Love of baseball

Lowe followed baseball growing up in the small town of Potterville, Michigan. Because his mother knew people at United Airlines who worked for the San Francisco Giants, Lowe and his brothers gained access to the team’s clubhouse during its road games in Midwestern cities.

As a high school sophomore, he attended a baseball camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and would revisit the camp during holidays and breaks from school because he liked it so much. When the owner of the camp offered him an office job as a senior, the decision was easy for Lowe, who played baseball at Albion College but looked forward to a job in professional baseball.

That time spent in Florida led to an opportunity with the Yankees’ minor league affiliate there. Lowe ascended to serve as assistant general manager of the club, and he worked in the minor league and scouting department where he experienced life for a short time at the major league level.

On the other end

A longtime propane retailer, Lowe now helps companies with their operations – from marketing to sales training to advisory work. He also spends a lot of his time in volunteer roles within the propane industry at both the state and national levels. “I feel it is important not only to be a marketer, to be a supplier, but also participate and give back,” he says. “The industry has been good to my family and me.”

New scholarship

Lowe has established a $2,000 scholarship in memory of his daughter, Brandy Lowe. The annual award will go to someone pursuing a career in the propane industry, a skilled trade (plumber, HVAC, builder) or in health care. Children of propane association members in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, as well as their customers, are eligible to apply.

Hobbies

Lowe loves to attend Major League Baseball games (20 to 40 a year). He’s seen games in 65 major league stadiums. “I feel at home. It’s very tranquil,” he says. He also enjoys traveling, jogging and learning about U.S. geography and cattle history.

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