Propane Personality: Freddie Ridler

May 27, 2026 By Brian Richesson 0 Comments

Freddie Ridler

Head of Business Growth
Rural Computer Consultants (RCC)

Education

Ridgewater College (Minnesota)
Degree in Information Technology
Class of 2000

Work experience

March 2005-Present
Rural Computer Consultants (RCC)
⦁ Head of Business Growth
⦁ Sales and Marketing
⦁ Project Management
⦁ Software Support

Storyteller

Ridler loves to tell stories, and he says his job at RCC allows him to do that. But he took another step with his storytelling ability when he got involved with the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and the Women in Propane Council (WIP). He and RCC colleague Jessica Balderston currently host the WIP’s “Through the Leadership Lens” podcast after Ridler teamed previously with Bridget Kidd of the Propane Education & Research Council.

He also chairs the NPGA Services Section. Of the podcast, he says, “It’s so honorable because Jess and I get to take guests, and we get to share their story. That’s why this industry has been so rewarding – because it’s given me the chance to share everyone’s story, and we just started. There’s a lot more to go.”

Ridler participates in propane industry associations. (Photo by LP Gas Staff)

Learning the trades

After graduating from college, Ridler worked for about four years in the electrical and HVAC industries, for businesses owned by family members. After crawling in hot attics and other tight spaces, he realized the work wasn’t exactly for him. “What I loved about it was I actually got to learn what it takes to be in the trade industry,” he says. Then, one day, his wife saw an ad for a position in the computer industry, working for RCC in Bird Island, Minnesota.

Finding his calling

Ridler sought a fast-paced, high-energy position at RCC. Though he once craved the big city life, he thought returning to computer work sounded enticing. He also liked the idea of working for a software company catering to independent propane marketers. “I have no idea what propane is, but I know it’s a trade,” he recalls thinking.

RCC hired him for software support. He traveled to small towns across the country, trained propane marketers on their software and always returned with a story from his customer visits. “Immediately, I knew this is what I want to do,” he says. Ridler has run the gamut of roles at RCC. He’s even a co-founder of the company’s handheld mobile-office-on-the-go product called MOGO. This role had him riding in bobtails with propane marketers.

Ridler runs into actor Eugene Levy in Vegas. (Photo courtesy of Freddie Ridler)

‘Making Propane Sexy’

This slogan making its way around the industry is the result of Ridler’s creative genius. It was born out of a Women in Propane Leadership Forum and an exchange between a speaker and audience member, who said the industry isn’t “sexy enough” to retain drivers and service technicians. The speaker responded, “Make it sexy then.” Ridler took the idea and ran with it.

He eventually gained approval from RCC ownership to develop the marketing campaign. The slogan now appears on clothing and other marketing material. “It went from something you can joke about to a conversation starter to a movement,” Ridler says. He recalls curious people asking him about it in airports. “I tell them the story, and I guarantee they go home and say, ‘I wonder if we use propane.’ That right there is a movement.”

Hobbies

Away from the job, Ridler enjoys time with his family – wife Monica, sons Parker and Rylan, and daughter Madeline. The family spends time together outdoors, at the kids’ college – Minnesota State University, Mankato – or traveling to Disney World.