LP Gas, May 2017

PROPANE EXPO Continued from page 47 must protect against competing energy threats The largest threat comes from electricity Sloan says with consumers in certain markets switching their heating systems to electric heat pumps Gallon growth discussions Warm Thoughts Communications hosted the Growing Gallons Conference ahead of the Propane Expo The conference brought state association executives and propane retailers together for a day of discussions and presentations centered on gallon growth Stuart Weidie president and CEO of Blossman Gas delivered opening remarks to the group which represented more than 20 U S states according to Warm Thoughts Weidie says gallon growth is essential for propane marketers from a labor standpoint Its easy to do your 22 or 26 deliveries every day and thats all youre going to do for 30 years he says But most young men and women want a purpose So tasking millennials with new unique opportunities can help propane businesses grow he says At the conference industry stakeholders also explored consumer attitudes about purchasing propane as a means to discuss gallon growth Richard Goldberg Warm Thoughts president unveiled research his firm conducted in February Among the findings 92 percent of propane customers are satisfied either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with propane The satisfaction of people who use our fuel is very high says Goldberg who noted as a caveat that propane availability and pricing have been more consumer friendly in recent years Employee retention tips The propane industrys aging workforce remained an issue of concern among propane retailers during the Propane Expo To help address these concerns three members of NPGAs workforce development task force hosted an educational session titled Recruitment Development Attracting New Employees to the Propane Industry The task force members shared their insights on hiring trends and best practices Alex Gresham director of human development at Blossman Gas and a member of the task force focused on best practices when integrating new hires to a company today Whether an operation is looking to hire a baby boomer a Gen Xer or a millennial Gresham says to consider four steps to have success in integrating a new hire to the team have an orientation plan offer one to four weeks of initial training provide new hires with a mentor and give new hires performance feedback two to four months after starting their job Make sure new hires have continued development he adds If that person is working and feels like theyve got nothing more to learn the job could start to feel stale for them Regulatory issues update NPGA hosted a fast track session to discuss the impacts new and anticipated federal regulations will have on the industry Mike Caldarera vice president of regulatory and technical services at NPGA discussed regulatory issues such as cylinder requalification crane operator training and entry level driver training Cylinder requalification The Department of Transportations DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration PHMSA formally accepted NPGAs petition to change a recent rulemaking and return the requalification period from 10 years to 12 years for DOT specification cylinders according to Caldarera PHMSA plans to issue a new rulemaking after accepting the petition to change the language of the regulation Alex Gresham of Blossman Gas shared best hiring practices at an educational session Visitors to SkyBitzs booth at the Propane Expo were entertained by a live music performance Future dates A list of future dates and locations for the NPGA Southeastern Convention International Propane Expo April 6 8 2018 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta April 13 15 2019 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta April 6 8 2020 at Music City Center in Nashville Tennessee April 10 12 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta 48 LPGas May 2017 www LPGasmagazine com PHOTOS BY BRIAN RICHESSON AND MEGAN SMALLEY