Propane Personality: Team Drive-Away’s Steve Wambold

Education

Purdue University (Indiana)
Bachelor’s in Secondary Education
Class of 1991

Work experience

April 2017-Present
Team Drive-Away
⦁ CEO
⦁ Board of Directors Member

1997-2016
Ferrellgas
⦁ CEO
⦁ President
⦁ Board of Directors Member
⦁ COO
⦁ Region Vice President
⦁ Area Manager/Region Manager
⦁ District Manager

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“Much like the propane industry, drive-away and logistics is about operational excellence and customer service.”

Propane industry experience

“I loved being at Ferrellgas, and I loved being in the propane industry – that was because of the people. I’m happy to say that the drivers I work with on a daily basis, and the men and women we partner with who manage fleets, are cut from the same cloth as those people I came to love in the propane industry. They believe in hard work, they love what they do, and more often than not they still believe that a handshake seals a deal.”

Challenges facing the propane industry

Drivers: “The market for drivers is challenging right now – particularly when you’re talking about hazmat-certified drivers. You’re always at risk of losing a good driver.”

Fleets: “Fleets are probably the single biggest cost at any company. How do you get the most for your dollar? How do you keep a grip on what is where? These are key questions for any fleet owner.”

Hobbies

“I golf a bit when I can, but with kids who are getting older and heading off to college and, eventually, into the working world, I find myself just wanting to spend as much time as I can with them and my beautiful wife Linda, whom I met at Purdue.”

What is Team Drive-Away

“Team Drive-Away is a third-party logistics provider specializing in drive-away services related to fleet deployment. We help companies with fleets large and small ensure that existing, new and used fleet assets are where they need to be, when they need them to be there.”

Three key points retailers should know

1. “We can help retailers deploy and optimally position their trucks without having to take their own drivers off-route.”

2. “During the summer months, a lot of propane retailers flex down their driver corps, which makes business sense, of course, but exposes them to the risk of losing drivers to other companies and industries. Team Drive-Away can put those drivers to work. We flex up during those warmer months, and we’d love to have reliable, experienced drivers on our bench.”

3. Wambold was recently elected to serve on the National Propane Gas Association board of directors.

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“I still love the propane industry, and I believe in it. Even with the last winter being favorable, there are still headwinds presented by uncertainty about the business environment, the increasing rise of alternative fuels for heating, volatile commodity markets, etc.”