YG Blog

Member Update - April, 2010

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 20:10:42 -0400

Good morning Gassers,

From all of your officers and advisors at the Young Gassers, we would like to extend to all of you a very pleasant Easter greeting. Thank you all for your support and your participation in this little experiment we call Young Gassers. We also look forward to seeing many of you at our reception this year in Atlanta during the SE Convention, which is just around the corner. Reception details & your invitation are attached.

I've also attached a revised membership directory as of April 1, 2010. It contains 308 names, current email addresses, web site links, group information and general membership information. This directory is a tool meant to help you interact with the community we are trying to develop. From a contact database standpoint, you couldn't get a more comprehensive list of go-to people across the entire spectrum of our industry. Create a shortcut to this directory and put it on your desktop. Please keep in the back of your mind that we're all only a click away from each other. If you'd like to change, or update your listing please contact me. Or, just go to our registration page to change your contact information.

Since we spoke last, which was last Thanksgiving, we've made some real progress in both membership and initiative. We'd like to share some of this with you today.

--------------------------------------------------------

Partnership Sponsors

We couldn't do this without the generous support of our partner companies. There are 40 companies who sponsor Young Gassers. It is my pleasure to welcome 15 of our newest Sponsors to our Association. They are as follows:

Automated Wireless Environments | Damon Boyer, Marketing Manger, Lake Hopatcong, NH

Berquist, Inc.| Bob Barry, President, CEO, Toledo, OH

Brindle Products, Inc.| Joe Gage, President, Grabill, IN

Eastern Propane| Bob Nicholson, Chairman, Sparta, NJ

Greenworks Propane | Ralph Tommaso, President, Easton, PA

The Fuel Web | Thomas Walker, President, Battle Ground, WA

Inergy Propane, LLC | James Devens, Division President, Salem, VA

LPGas Jobs | Jim Stein, Owner, Vancouver, WA

LPGas Magazine (Questex) | Brian Kanaba, Publisher, Cleveland, OH

Magnum Products, Inc. | Jeremy Simpson, Marketing Manager, Gretna, NE

Petrogas, Inc.| Tom Frey, VP US Supply & Trading, Houston, TX

Propane Gas Association of New England | Joe Rose, President, Bristol, RI

Ray Murray, Inc. | Mike Hopsicker, President & CEO

TransTech Energy, Inc. | Britt Medley, CEO, Rocky Mount, NC

Wehof Forms| Walt Wehof, President, Somerville, NJ

Please visit the "Our Sponsors" page on our website for a complete list of supporters including our co-hosts this year for our event in Atlanta, The Guild of Ancient Gassers & Heritage Propane

--------------------------------------------------------

New State Directors

We are pleased to welcome as our newest State Directors:

Virginia: James Devens, Inergy , L.P
North Carolina: Jeremy LeRay, Inergy, L.P.
South Carolina: Bill Summers, Vision Financial Group, Inc
Washington: Jim Stein, LPGas Jobs

We're looking for individuals from all 50 sates to help us coordinate our steps at the state level. State Directors are an important part of this effort. Please contact us if you are interested in participating.

--------------------------------------------------------

Midwest Propane Gas Convention - Visit us in Booth 521

As you may already know, I, Jeremy LeRay of Inergy, L.P., and Mathew Jones of K&K Management Solutions will be presenting two workshops at the 2010 Midwest Propane Gas Convention. We're all looking forward to this event, and hope you'll be able to find time in your schedules on April 29 - May 1, 2010 to attend this convention, and our workshops. The topic is on Social Networking. We also have a booth this year and we will be webcasting live from our booth and the show floor. it should be fun. More details to follow.

--------------------------------------------------------

Our Website

Jeremy LeRay, and I are in the process of updating our website. We're moving to a completely different "WordPress" type of format, complete with blog and we'll be looking for guest writers. Feel like saying something once in a while? We'd love to give you an outlet. Contact me if you're interested in getting involved. In the interim, we've cleaned up and streamlined the look and content of our current website. We'd be pleased if you could take a few moments to check it out. If you are so inclined, drop me a note and let me know what you think. | younggassers.org.

And, just as a reminder, if you haven't already gotten current on your individual membership, we would appreciate it if you would. Between our reception in Atlanta and the Workshops in Indy, we're on a tight budget.

--------------------------------------------------------

Propane Heritage Preservation Project

I'd like you to read a letter from my friend, fellow New Yorker and Chairman-elect of the NPGA, Roland Penta. He does an excellent job explaining what has transpired to date regarding the Propane Centennial Celebration project. Please give this your careful attention. The 100th anniversary of propane is an important landmark in OUR little slice of American history. Now is the time to get involved!

I'd also like to thank Peter Ferrell, Executive Assistant to the President at NPGA who is doing an excellent job coordinating all our various committee's, phone conferences, meetings and notes and handling our distribution lists. Thank You Peter! We couldn't do it without you.

--------------------------------------------------------

Well, I would say that was plenty for today. From all of us, thank you for being involved, and have a great Easter Holiday with your family and friends.

Kindest regards on this holiest of days,

Jim Renaldo, Chairman & CEO
The International Association of Young Gassers

This email has been distributed to 308 members.

Merry Christmas

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:07:21 -0500

Member Update - November, 2009

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:01:03 -0500

Hello Gassers,

With TANKSgiving (that's the propane equivalent of the holiday) upon us, I though it would be appropriate to give some thanks to the people and companies supporting Young Gassers. These updates are meant to help all of us figure out who's who AND who's where in the propane gas biz, and to acknowledge the people who are helping to support this organization.

So, along those lines, I've attached a revised membership directory for November. It contains 265 names, current email addresses, web site links, group information and general membership information. This directory is a tool meant to help you interact with the community we're building. From a contact database standpoint, you couldn't get a more comprehensive list of go-to people across the entire spectrum of our industry. Create a shortcut to this directory and put it on your desktop. Please keep in the back of your mind that we're all only a click away from each other.

-------------------------------------------------------

New Member of our Board of Advisors

We are just so fortunate to welcome Tom Aikens, VP of Sales for Trinity Containers, LLC to the YG Board of Advisors. Tom has been serving as our Texas State Director for the past couple of months and was instrumental in pulling together our Fantasy Football leagues. He is also taking a very active roll on our Propane Heritage Preservation Committee. It's a pleasure to be able to welcome Tom aboard, even though he is such a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. Negations to get Tom to sign on to the YG team were difficult, as you'll see in my signature line below. But, it was worth it.

-------------------------------------------------------

Midwest Propane Gas Convention

As you may already know, I, Jeremy LeRay of Liberty Propane, and Mathew Jones of K&K Management Solutions will be presenting two workshops at the 2010 Midwest Propane Gas Convention. We're all looking forward to this event, and hope you'll be able to find time in your schedules on April 29 - May 1, 2010 to attend this convention. We're working hard trying to bring a little more relevance to this show and set it apart, a bit, from the Southeast. Exhibitor and Attendee information is available on the Midwest Propane Gas Convention website. What follows is our workshop outline. If anyone has any additional suggestions as to what they would like to see covered, please drop us a note.

Young Gassers Networking Technology Workshop (NT101)
Join the Young Gassers for this timely, relevant and important workshop that offers an introductory look at professional and personal social networking technology. How is it relevant to the propane industry? What do you need to know to get started? Should you get started? Discover why social networks are important to you and your business. This is an introductory level workshop. Come prepared to ask questions, and bring your wireless enabled laptops, or smart phones to class for hands on exercises.

Young Gassers Networking Technology Workshop (NT401)
This is an advanced level workshop that picks up where NT101 left off. It's an in-depth discussion and hands-on workshop that explores the mechanics and structure of Professional Social Networking. Learn why you need to avoid the pitfalls of "Personal" Social Networks like FaceBook and MySpace for business purposes. The class is going to break into small work groups of 10, or so, to address specific questions and offer techniques and tips on implementing the internet into your networking and marketing plans. Come prepared with questions and concerns. We'll address them on the spot. Bring your wireless enabled laptops, or smart phones to class for hands on technical advise.

-------------------------------------------------------

Propane Heritage Preservation Project

As of today, there are 904 days left until the industry turns 100 years old. We're very pleased to report to you that the NPGA is on board and has accepted 100% of the responsibility and leadership on this important industry project. We should all be proud of the role the Young Gassers played to advance an orphaned project and place it in the appropriate context within our industry. We are all looking forward to our Centennial Celebrations and Commemorative Book, and the opening of our museum exhibit in 2012. More information will be forthcoming from the NPGA in the days, months and years leading up to our Propane Centennial Celebration.

-------------------------------------------------------

New Members

Partnership Level Members

Please join me in welcoming Matthew Eastwood, Lead Web Developer, Tri State Tank, Kansas City, MO. Matthew joined us just a day after our last update, where we announced Tri State's Partnership level support. We sincerely appreciate the talent Matthew brings to Young Gassers, and we hope to be able to utilize him as a resource as we strive to improve our own web presence.

Also joining us this month is Chirs Carroll, Sales for Jarco, Inc., Salem, IL. Since new management took over the Young Gassers about two years ago, JARCO has been a huge supporter in so many ways. Thank you Nancy! Tim, you're doing a great job.

Corporate Sponsorship

Please welcome James Brandon, Owner, Nottawa Gas Company, Nottawa, MI. We sincerely appreciate your support John and look forward to your participation.

Individual Members

Individual members are the backbone of this organization and make up the majority of our roster. We truly do appreciate your support. Please welcome to our association:

Cliff Slisz, President CCS Safety Resources, LLC, Shawnee KS
Mark Orr, Propane Manager, Haycock Petroleum, Las Vegas, NV
Kenneth Strasberg, Director of Sales, Thompson Gas, Boonsboro, MD
Calvin Deelah, Sage Global Capital, Greenville, MI
Andrew Vanderboegh, Director of Sales, Altogas, Alto, MI

Evaluation Members

Michael Ackerman, Southern Indiana Propane, Jasper, IN

Linked In Members

The Young Gassers Discussion Group @ LinkedIn is seating 141 at the moment, and we have a dozen new members to thank this month for getting involved. Also, we have three NEW Subgroups going on (Sales & Marketing, Safety and Technical and Transportation) that were added and are being administered by our Secretary/Treasurer Charlene Wright, Lathrop and Gage, LLP. I'd also like to extend a shout out to Ann Rey at Delta Liquid Energy for lending a helping hand to keep our news feeds current. Thank you Ann and Charlene. I'm really excited about the way this discussion group is just starting to come together. New to our group are:

Raymond Rock, Owner, Excel Underground, LLC, WI
John Dwan, Ion Energy Group, NY
Randy Doyle, Blossman Gas, MS
Bob Levins, Technology Assistance Group, Inc.
Calvin Deelah, Sage Global Capital, MI
Tim Thrash, Jarco, Inc., IL
Ken Strasberg, Thompson Gas, DC
Jerrod Orians, OH
Larry Brooke, Arroyo Propane, LLC, WA
Raymond B Murray III, Ray Murray Inc., MA
Mark, Orr, Haycock Petroleum, NV
Errol West, Phoenix Energy Solutions, FL

Well, that's about it folks. We all just so impressed by the way this is growing. We have you to thank for it. On behalf of our Advisors and Officers we hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Kindest regards,

Jim

This email has been distributed to 265 members.

Member Update - October, 2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:49:24 -0400

YOUNG GASSERS MEMBER UPDATE

Good Afternoon Gassers,

Being able to share with everyone some of the encouraging news and progress we're making with the Young Gassers is something I truly enjoy doing. This is going to be a rather long update, so I'll get right into it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Partnership Level Sponsors

Let's start by welcoming THREE new Partnership Level Sponsors. This is, without a doubt, what I am talking about — three partners in one month. Outstanding! Please join us in celebrating their support by welcoming:

American Welding and Tank, LLC, a Division of Taylor-Wharton International LLC located in Mechanicsburg, PA. Jim Alderman Director of Business Development AND undefeated (4-0) YG Fantasy Football team owner of the American Patriots was our member responsible for making this happen and we sincerely appreciate it.

Also joining us in September ...

Emerson Process Management, manufacturers of Fisher Regulators, located in McKinney, TX. Ed Varney, Director of LP Sales made the initial contact and managed to enlist the participation of four of his colleagues. Thanks Ed and we look forward to working closely with Emerson. Welcome to new members:

Curtis Bagby, Vice President, LP Gas Equipment
Cash Nasheri, Engineering Manager, LP Gas Equipment
Jeffrey Sexton, Marketing Manager, LP Gas Equipment
Bryan Steger, Sales & Application Engineer, LP Gas Equipment

And finally, we are very fortunate to garner the support of Tri State Tank of Kansas City, MO. Our thanks and congratulations go out to Jason Soulon at his new position as Account Manager for TST. Jason is also the VP of our association and I have to extend him some serious props for integrating the Young Gasses into his new work environment. We are very pleased to include five new members as a result of his efforts. Please join us in welcoming members of the TST team:

Wayne Terpstra, President
Mark Menard, Sales Manager
Karen Eider, Sales Coordinator
Randy Krauth, Salesman
Jerry Hawkins, Commodity Manager

To all our Partners ... We invite you to talk to us about informational projects that we would like to put out to our membership, regarding YOUR company. Information is key to a successful organization and we're all interested in learning about what's new in our industry. Just by the very fact that you've become Partnership Level Sponsors shows us that your companies are innovators. Let the Young Gassers help you spread the word. For a complete list of Sponsors visit our website.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Officer

We've waited a long time to find just the right person to round out our Leadership Team, and we think that we've found just such a person in Charlene Wright, Attorney for the firm, Lathrop & Gage, LLP in Kansas City, MO.

Charlene's role at her firm (one of the oldest law firms west of the Mississippi River, established in 1873) and in the Industry focuses on complex litigation and regulatory compliance matters. She has graciously volunteered her time to fill the role of Secretary-Treasurer & General Council for the International Association of Young Gassers. We are all just so fortunate to have her involved.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Individual Members

Just as important as Sponsors are the individual members who form the backbone of this association. Please join us in welcoming ....

Marc Murgo, Sales, Dead River Company in Manchester, NH
Chip Jones, Regional Manager, Paragon Truck Equipment in Louisville, KY
Randy Camp, General Manager, CoEnergy Propane in Corvallis, OR
John Saunders in Phoenix Arizona.

It is with great honor that we welcome Charles D. Snelling, Retired Entrepreneur from Fogelsville, PA to our Association. Mr. Snelling is the son of Dr. Walter O. Snelling who is considered the father and founder of the LPG Industry. Charles has been an active participant in our industry for many yeas and it is such a pleasure to be able to include him among us today. Thank you Charles for your support.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Briefs

Young Gassers University - Midwestern Propane Gas Convention

The Young Gassers will be presenting two new workshops at the 2010 Midwestern Propane Gas Convention. The topic we'll be covering is Networking Technology. We're planning an introductory session (NT101) on Friday April 30th, 3:45 to 4:45 PM, and a more advanced session (NT404) on Saturday, May 1 beginning at 8AM. We'll be sharing more information on our workshop as the dates get a little closer. Please make plans to join us. Helping me to present this workshop are: Jeremy LeRay, Systems Administrator for Liberty Propane and YG Florida State Director Mathew Jones, Account Executive for K&K Management Solutions.

Atlanta Reception
Join the Young Gassers in Atlanta for our annual reception held during the NPGA Southeastern Convention on Sunday, April 11. We're going to plan our event for a little later in the evening this year to allow all the attendees time to enjoy any meeting or dinner plans being arranged. Then, come join us for desserts, coffee, brandy and other liquid refreshments afterwards. It should be a very nice evening. More information to follow.

Propane Heritage Project
Last week, I sent out almost 700 emails regarding a very important project that the Young Gassers are lending our support to. It's called the Propane Heritage Project. This is a once in a lifetime event for our industry, as we celebrate and acknowledge our 100th Anniversary. This is something you will be hearing more about from us in the coming months and years. Please join us in your support of this project. Information forthcoming as to how you'll be able to help us in this effort.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's a Wrap

I could go on, as there is just so much going on right now. But, I think we've covered everything we need to for this week. Stay tuned to this YG channel for the latest.

Finally, please find attached to this mail the latest update to our E-membership Directory. Keep in mind that you can contact anyone mentioned in this update using this directory. Just click on their email address. If you would like to correct or update any of the information provided, please drop me note.

All is well.

Kindest regards,

Jim Renaldo, YG Board of Advisors
The International Association of Young Gassers

This email has been distributed to 255 members.
Please use this link to Opt-Out of future Young Gassers Updates. Thank you and please accept our apologies for the additional e-mail burden.

Member Update - September, 2009

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 19:43:06 -0400

Good morning Gassers,

Hope you all had a nice holiday. Big hello and welcomes go out to all our new members who've joined us in the last couple months.

------------------------------------------------------------------
New Bidness ...

Our sponsors are the people that make the Young Gassers possible, because lord knows, it's not easy getting $25 out of individual members. Lots of "evaluating" going on, which is fine. Money is tight these days. However, If it weren't for progressive thinking individuals bringing their corporate support along with them, we'd be a much different organization.

This month, joining us at the Partnership Level, please welcome Edward Scott, Chief Marketing Officer for Energi Insurance Services, Inc. Energi (pronounced ENERG-I) is a member owned, propane specific, captive insurance group. I'd like to also acknowledge Vince Mitchell for his help in introducing Energi to our network. This is a very innovative, sharp company that we look forward to learning more about. Thank you Vince, and thank you Ed for dialing us in on your radar.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Individual & LinkedIn Group Members

it's just been 18 months since we started turning the Young Gassers into the wind. As of today, we have 247 members, located in seven countries, representing the interests of 137 organizations. Since our last update in July, we've attracted the attention of 21 new members who are all are named in this update. Nine of these members are also checking out our Professional Networking Group, The Young Gassers @ LinkedIn. Welcome to all our new members, and I wish I could say a little bit more about each of you, other than name, rank and serial number. But, that's what our public profiles are for, right? So, I'll let the links (below) do the talking for you.

LinkedIn
Chandler Robertson, Treasurer, Therm-O-Tane Propane, Sanford, FL.
Marcel De Groote, Owner, Westfalen Gassen Nederland, BV, Deventer, Holland
Glen Carney, Insurance Agent, Robert Wehn & Associates, Darien, IL
Jeff Pound, Flower Mound, TX
Kent Glass, General Manager, Leran Gas Products, Jacksonville, FL
Kelly Hendershot, Sr. Account Exec., Leran Gas Products, Jacksonville, FL
Marc Murgo, New Account Specialist, Dead River Company, Manchester, NH
Mandy Bryant, Sales Representative, Georgia Gas, Fayetteville, GA
Roger Robertson, Account Manager FerrellGas, Houston, TX

Individual Members
Clifford Johnsen, Sales Manager, Total Energy, North Salem, NY
David Miller, General Manager, Millers Bottled Gas Co., Inc. Bowling Green, KY
Tim Hendricks, Chairman, Midwest Propane Gas Association, Sunbury, OH
David Daley, Senior Account Manager, Molloy Business Development Group, Cairo, OH

------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantasy Football

We managed to generate enough interest to form two leagues, 12 teams each. This is proving to be a lot of fun. Although, one league is a little more "chatty" than the other, we're all enjoying getting to know each other and talking a little trash. Tom Aikens, Vice President of Sales at Trinity Industries, Inc. is our resident rabble rouser, Commissioner, and the guiding factor behind this crazy idea. Thanks Tom for bringing in 7 new members. We're all looking forward to crushing your Trinity Tankers and bashing your beloved Dallas Cowboys, along with everyone else's home teams. This is going to be interesting.

Joining us to play a little fantasy football, please welcome:

Thomas Wick, Rural Computer Consultants, Inc., Olivia, MN
Dan Maurice, Rural Computer Consultants, Inc., Bird Island, MN
Freddie Ridler, Rural Computer Consultants, Inc., Bird Island, MN
Frank Marusiak, Logistics Manager, Cavagna North America, Somerset, NJ
Alan Widner, Liberty Propane, Parkville, MO
Tawnya Wollery, Business Analyst, Liberty Propane, Overland Park, KS
Jamie Coffeey, Acquisition Analyst, Liberty Propane, Overland Park, KS

------------------------------------------------------------------
Wrap it up, already

We all appreciate your patience, when it comes to email. Be thankful that you're not one of our Officers, Advisors, or State Directors. Or, that you didn't get involved in our fantasy football league. One day I fielded over 60 emails between these four workgroups. There is a lot going on. So much so, I'm going to need to do another update soon ... like within a few days. Highlights include, the appointment of a new State Director, hopefully. Plus, news on a technology workshop we will be presenting at the Midwest Propane Gas Convention. Possibly, news about our Atlanta reception. New momentum to share on the Propane Centennial Celebration, and other efforts headed up by Bob Nicholson, Harold Ploland, Roland Penta and many other members at the Ancient Gassers, too numerous to name. You knew our industry was turning 100 years old on May 17, 2012, right?

Best regards,

Jim Renaldo, Board of Advisors
The Young Gassers

This email has been distributed to 242 members.

Member Update - July, 2009

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 19:38:49 -0400

Good Afternoon Gassers,

This is your June-July Member Update.

In a little over a year we've managed to peek the interest of 226 members representing 34 states and six countries. We've received the financial support of eight Corporate Sponsors and 21 Partnership level sponsors. We've recruited a leadership team consisting of six Advisors, two Officers, nine State Directors, and one Canadian Provincial Director. We have a web site up which is closing in on 2,500 hits, and implemented a very functional database to keep everyone on the same page. Please find attached our most current E-membership Directory. This is the foundation of the network we are building. Study it. I think you'll be surprised, as I am every time I publish this, to see such an excellent cross section of our industry getting involved.

MEMBERSHIP ------------------------------------

Please welcome our newest members of the International Association of Young Gassers.

Exhibiting directly across the isle from me at the recent WPGA show, I had a chance to chat with James Fontaine, Sales Manager for DeYoung and Associates, Inc, developers of the FulePak computer system for LP-Gas distributors. DeYoung is a division of Vertrax, who was being represented at the show by John Rosen, VP of Sales & Marketing. It was a pleasure meeting both of you. I enjoyed our conversation and appreciate your willingness to become members.

While in Reno, I also persuaded my good friend Ann Rey to join us, again. Ann stepped away from the propane industry for a bit, but has since come to her senses and returned in a new position as Wholesale Fuel Representative for Delta Liquid Energy. Ann has been involved with the Young Gasser, one way or another, since 1989. Great to have you back! I thought we lost you there for a moment.

Joe Rose, President of the Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE) joins us from Bristol, RI. The NYPGA and PGANE work closely together on many initiatives, which is how I got to know Joe a little better. He's making a very difficult job look easy in New England. We also appreciate the help he extended to Jerry Greco our Connecticut State Director by putting together and distributing a nice flyer for a CT Young Gassers meeting Jerry is running in July. We look forward to Joe's involvement and experience in the Young Gassers.

Charlene Wright, Attorney with the firm Lathrop & Gage, LLP in Kansas City, MO says she handles a lot of propane litigation and regulatory citations on behalf of propane companies and thought it would be a good idea to join our industry group. I agree. Welcome Charlene.

Marc Seagrave, President of Southern Energy Services in Vero Beach, FL is a 23 year veteran of the natural gas, propane and electric utilities business, and a retired US Army Veteran serving in the Military Police. We are very pleased he found his way to our association. Good luck in your new endeavor.

Also joining us is Crystelle Markley, Sales & Marketing Coordinator for CleanFUEL USA in Georgetown, TX. A relatively new members of our Industry, Crystelle also brings to the group her experience as a Manuscript Editor for The Parish Paper, where she is responsible for editing monthly newsletters, syndicated columns and church leadership material read by more than two million people, world-wide. Interesting .... We (I) could use a good editor. As you've probably noticed by now, I am the worst proof reader in the world, especially when it comes to my own work. Help? :)

What can be said about Tom Aikens, VP of Sales for Trinity Containers in Dallas TX that he hasn't already said himself. Just kidding Tom! That was a little jab for your "no finer restaurants in Buffalo" remark the other day. We are so looking forward to you sharing some of your "crazy ideas" with us. Bring it on! That's the kind of stuff that makes this interesting for all of us.

Neal Tesseyman, Manager of Mallory Propane in Mineola, TX signed up using our membership form, and I recently had a little round of E-mails with Neal regarding the whole PayPal, Membership Application deal. It was close, but we almost lost a member. We're glad you reconsidered.

I'd like to take a moment to clear up a common misconception about PayPal. You DO NOT need to be a member of PayPay, OR set up an account with them to make your membership contributions  using the "Donate" buttons on the web site. Look for the link that says "Not a members of PayPal?" We are using this service simply for credit card processing, and as our financial institution for Young Gassers business. We can always supply a paper invoice for those of you who would like to use a personal or company check for your dues. Drop me a note.

Our Membership Form simply provides a way for us to get your contact information, and a means for you to OPT-IN to our E-mail Distributions List. Theoretically, if you don't fill out the form, we shouldn't be sending you updates. We are just trying to be more "Official" about our membership process and networking environment. Anyone who hasn't filled out this simple, on-line, form really should. We'd appreciate a few moments of your time. It takes two minutes, literally.

NEWS -------------------------------------

Speaking on behalf of our Officers and Advisors, we are very pleased to announce the appointment of Darren Eavis, OEM Fleet Account Manager for BASE Engineering, Inc, as our New Brunswick Provincial Director. Canada is critical to the U.S. Propane Industry. We're joined at the him in many regards. It just makes sense to form Canadian Charters of the Young Gassers. We may be over-reaching a bit in these early stages, but we look forward to making some inroads working with Darren.

Belated good wishes go out to fellow Young Gasser Larry Young, Financial Analyst, Inergy Propane on his appointment to Marketing Committee Chair for the New York Propane Gas Association. Talk about the hot seat. Congratulations Larry! I know you'll do good things for our Committee.

Look for new member benefits coming your way from our good friend and Ohio State Director Brian Kanaba and LP-Gas Magazine in July.

LINKED-IN -------------------------------

Our LinkedIn Group is seeing some encouraging growth over the past couple of months. Please send your good wishes, welcomes and network invitations out to:

Andrea Guevara, Vice President of Smart Hose Technologies in Philadelphia, PA;
Scott Weldon, District Manager for Irving Oil;
Eric Megargel, Wind Tech at NextEra Energy Resources, and a Branch Manager for United Propane;
Kara Tucker, Sales & Marketing for Koppy's Propane, Inc. in Williamstown, PA;
Darren Eavis, OEM Fleet Account Manager for BASE Engineering, Inc, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada;
Charlene Wright, Attorney for Lathrop & Gage, LLP in Kansas City, MO;
Paul Walker in Marshall, MI
Marc, Seagrave, President of Southern Energy Services Corp., Vero Beach, FL
Joe Rose, President of the Propane Gas Association of New England, Bristol, RI;
Crystelle Markley, Sales & Marketing Cooridnator for CleanFUEL USA, in Georgetown, TX;
Tom Aikens, Vice President of Sales, Trinity Containers, Dallas, TX; and
Jim Alderman, Director of Business Development, American Welding & Tank, Mechancisburg, PA.
V. Steve Gordin, Registered Structural & Civil Engineer, SGE Structural in Irvine, CA.

If you've read this far, you have our sincerest thanks. Please keep an eye on our LinkedIn Group, submit interesting news articles about our industry, start a discussion, something .... anything would be good. It shouldn't be just me.

Kindest regards,
Jim

This update has been distributed to 226 members.

Member Update - May, 2009 2

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:34:35 -0400

Good Morning Gassers,

Quick member update for you this morning, then it's off to Reno for the Western Propane Trade Show and Convention. We have several new members and a brand new Partnership Level Sponsor to welcome today. Most of these folks come to us through our networking group at LinkedIn.

New Members

If you have a moment today, please say hello to ...

Sarah Hanley, Director of Strategic Accounts for AmeriGas Propane, in Valley Forge, PA and Robert Langner, IT Manager - Supply Chain, for Amerigas in Calgary, AB Canada. These recent additions bring the total number of AmeriGas members, located all over North America, to seven. You folks should consider a Sponsorship. It would be a little less inexpensive going forward, plus you get some recognition on our website, as well as a few other perks.

From Liberty Propane in Overland Park, KS comes Jackie Thomas, Director of Human Resources. You might say that Jackie was recommended for membership by a member of our Board of Advisors, and one of our staunchest supporters, Boyd McGathey. With the addition of Jackie, this brings the total number of Liberty memberships to 10. Outstanding representation!

Next up, please welcome Doug Zettles, Owner of Make it Burn, Inc. in Tampa, FL. If you have a second check out his website, it's literally pretty hot. Welcome Doug. You should touch base with our FL State Director Mat Jones of K&K Management Solutions.

Brent Williams, Director of Sales & Marketing, Peter Gibbs, CEO & Craig Dahlquist, Senior Account Executive from TouchStart Solutions, in Tulsa, OK were also added to the rolls this month, filling out their available membership slots as part of their Corporate Sponsorship. Thank you very much Michel for making this happen.

And finally, from the Oklahoma LP Gas Research Marketing and Safety Commission in Oklahoma City, OK, please welcome Paula Laney-Cowart to the Young Gassers. Paula is a Technical & Safety Advisor with the Commission and also owns her own consulting service, Cowart Consulting Services. Thanks Paula. We look forward to your involvement.

Sponsorships

We are very pleased to welcome our newest Partnership Level Sponsor to the Young Gassers, Dan Molloy, President of Molloy, LLC. Dan is responsible for the development of the "Language of Commitment" training programs. He and his team are actively partnering with several independent and major propane retailers, empowering their staff with the tools to grow sales, improve customer service, and enhance the overall performance of their sales and leadership teams. We are looking forward to partnering with Dan in order to share some of these valuable techniques with our own membership. Welcome Dan, and many thanks to Pat Houser, Ohio Division President at Inergy Propane for the referral.

If you have any questions or comments please drop a note to any one of our officers and advisors. We'll update everyone again, on the other side of the Western show. Thanks everyone for your support!

Kindest regards,

Jim Renaldo, Board of Advisors
International Association of Young Gassers.

This update has been distributed to 211 members.

Member Update - May, 2009

Wed, 6 May 2009 19:25:08 -0400

Welcoming our Membership

Hi Gassers,

Today, I'd like to just say thank you and welcome to the 77 people who became members of the Young Gassers in Atlanta. We received a total of 87 new members in the month of April, including two corporate sponsors and five partnership sponsors.

All of you should have received an e-membership directory. If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader, the e-mail addresses appearing in the directory are all selectable, meaning that you can click on the address and it should open your email client and create a new message. It's like having a private e-mail address book that WE will keep updated for you, periodically.

Moving on, we would like to extend some overdue recognition to our newest sponsors. Without these folks we wouldn't be moving anywhere at all. This kind of support is truly encouraging. Thank you to all these great people, working for great companies. Please join us in welcoming...

(Partnership)
Independent Technologies, Inc./WESROC of Omaha, NE Jeff Burianek, Daryl Ingalsbe, Steve Ingalsbe, Steve Rechenmacher, Hank Smith, and Tom Dudycha
Bulk Truck and Transport Service, Inc., of Hanover, IN David Auxier, Shawn Auxier, and Jason Wilson
Tri-Gas & Oil Co., Inc. of Federalsburg, MD David McMahn, Julie McMahn, and Keith McMahn
Lyons Companies of Wilmington, DE Paul Borichevsky, Buzz Hannum, Jr., Lewis Harrington, David Lyons, and Robert Sabol
Blackmer, Division of PSG, of Grand Rapids, MI Kent Crawford, Bill Holmes, Tom Madden, and Tom Stone
(Corporate)
Nantucket Energy, LLC of Nantucket MA Philip Marks
North American Satellite Corp of Goodlettsville, TN Marty Brasher, Joseph Crocitto, Rick Humphrey, Dwayne Mckinney

News

Looking for ways you and your company can get more involved? Do you have an event, or announcement you'd like to share with our membership? Send us your copy. Share an accomplishment, a project, a new position or promotion, new contact information, a new product, an industry event, or a training seminar. What we are asking is, help us help you to stay in the loop. Help us to instill a renewed sense of community. Think of this service as a community bulletin board.

100 Years of Propane

In association with the Ancient Gassers, the Propane Heritage Preservation is looking for help with several initiatives, including Propane's 100th Anniversary Celebration 1912 - 2012. For more information and volunteer applications visit the Ancient Gassers Website, or contact Bob Nicholson. We support their efforts and looking for ways that we can assist. One suggestion was to run a logo contest for the 100th Anniversary Logo. What do you all think of that idea?

Events

The Western Propane Trade Show & Convention is kicking off on May 14 - 16, 2009. The Young Gassers & Ancient Gassers Reception is scheduled for Friday, May 15, 5:30 - 8pm at the Silver Legacy Hotel. Congratulations WPGA on 60 years of service to the industry.

Initiatives

We are working on several Internet marketing initiatives, one of them being a Reciprocal Linking Program (RL). An effective Internet and e-mail marketing strategy is an important component of any company's overall marketing efforts. We are trying to encourage more Business-to-Business marketing and sales opportunities among our members. A simple and non-intrusive way of doing this, that works 24 hours a day, is to offer hyper links on our site, directing visitors to your site, and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us in return.

Reciprocal linking not only draws eyeballs, but web crawlers (spiders) put out by the various search engines, follow these links and attributes value to them, based on the content of the reciprocating pages. Yeah, they are that intelligent. Pertinent, related, and informational RL's helps to boost a sites ranking with search engines. If you are interested we will send you instructions and some graphic options to choose from. We can even create a graphic for you, to place on our site, if you'd like.

The World of Propane

Today, we are truly an International Association of Young Gassers. We have members in Australia, Benin (Africa), Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands. Canada was very well represented at our reception, and at the show in general. I listened to what a few of our Canadian counterparts had to say. I’m very encouraged that we can keep the dialog going towards the formation of YG Canada. I'll be in Ontario next month exhibiting our equipment at one of our Distributors Open House. Contact me if you'd like more information. I'm always up for a meeting.

Conclusion

We're trying to be informative and helpful, but at the same time be respectful of your e-mail in box. We're all dealing with a ton of e-mail. I'll only send out one or two of these longer updates a month.
If you have any questions or comments, our leadership team consists of eight people, including myself. Any one of us would be happy to listen to what you have to say.

Kindest regards,
Jim Renaldo, Board of Advisors

This update has been distributed to 208 members

Member Update - April, 2009

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:22:23 -0400

Dear Gassers,

You guys rock! Yeah, we now have 200 members. We picked up two new Corporate Sponsors in Atlanta. We've four new, full blown, Partners sitting in the wings, waiting for me to get off my butt to introduce them to you folks, and as if that were not enough we picked up 73 peeps as individual members who want to get in on what is clearly the only game in town. I could go on, but I'll show some restraint. I received some good advice in Atlanta not to over do it. Let me just say, however, that the group we are assembling is snapping necks, and cashing checks. Something seems to be working. Welcome to all our new members. On behalf of the Ancient & Young Gassers, thanks for coming to our reception. It was a great success for us. We hope you had a nice time. I'll have our new photo gallery up very shortly. I'll also be distributing a revised E-directory and some brief introductions over the next few days. Please bear with us. There is going to be a little flurry of emails going out from myself, Jason and Becky over the next week, or so. I know this might tend to get a little tedious for some, but it needs to be done for the good of everyone involved.

NEWS

The Young Gassers is very pleased to announce that we are gifting $500 to the Wallenpaupack Area High School, Graphic Arts Department for their outstanding contribution to our ongoing logo contest. We'd like to thank Becky Ryan of LP Cylinder Service, Inc. for facilitating the entries. When teacher, Eric Greenberger (Becky's boyfriend) heard about the contest, he challenged his class to design a logo for us and the results were impressive. One entry I really liked, but not "the" Young Gassers official log, is attached. Eric is obviously doing something right and that is to be commended. Thank you Becky and Eric for creating the opportunity for us to introduce these kids to the propane industry in a fun and challenging way. This kind of direct interaction and encouragement is exactly the kind of positive spin we want to create in the classroom. This is where our future as an industry is. This is where the Young Gassers is going to be putting some of our emphasis and our money. Any help or ideas you'd like to offer would be appreciated.

More later in a Weekend Update.

Jim Renaldo, YG Board of Advisors
The International Association of Young Gassers

Member Update - March, 2009 3

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:11:48 -0400

Welcoming Our Members

Dear Gassers,

We have surpassed the 100-member mark! We’ve gone from 0 to 100+ registered members in almost exactly one year. Jason, Becky and I first met as a group on April 30, 2008 in Atlanta, at Ruth’s Chris, to discuss the future of the Young Gassers. Today, we’re closing in on 2,000 hits to our web site, we’re hosting, along with the Ancient Gassers, a wonderful reception and networking opportunity for our members in Atlanta, and we’ve received sponsorship support from over 20 companies and a dozen individuals. I’d say we’re doing okay for year one. The word is out that this is the place to get connected.

I posted a RSS news item to the group that LinkedIn has now made it possible for managers to send out a Group Announcement (one a week maximum) to members of your Young Gassers Group. We’re experimenting with this new feature. Upon further examination, I found that it does not accommodate hyper-linked text, so our member update format would not work in that environment. What is the best method to reach out to our membership in the most efficient, effective and least intrusive manner? Your feedback and candor is honestly appreciated, really.

NEW MEMBERS

We have a ton-O new members to announce today — 15 total. The interest in our group has been fantastic and it’s coming from all corners of the globe, from all sectors of our industry.

A corporate sponsor is a wonderful thing, and leading off our announcements today is just such a company. Please welcome Dan Murray, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Total Control Systems in Fort Wayne, IN. TCS is a world-glass manufacturer of positive displacement flow meters. Dan, we are very grateful for the support you’ve shown. I hope we can measure up to the accuracy of your products. I’m looking forward to meeting you and your team down in Atlanta.

From Quincy, IL please welcome Paul Murfin, VP and General Manager of HEETCO. As an independent, family owned and operated propane gas dealer, founded in 1947, HEETCO has expanded into a multi-state marketer serving Illinois, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska. Welcome to you and your family Paul, and thank you for becoming a Partnership level sponsor. Much appreciated.

Jodi Apple joins us from Overland Park, KS as an independent Job Search Consultant. Jodi has an extensive background in the propane industry as a Senior Recruiter for Ferrellgas, and from her last post to our discussion board, she looks to be canvassing for propane professionals right now. Looking to fill a position? Looking for a new job opportunity? Drop Jodi a note and check out the new Jobs tab in our LinkedIn group.

Anna Shelander, CEO of WorldView Creative, LLC in St. Paul MN, joins us as an interested party to our industry. Anna’s talent agency represents Mad Dog and Merrill, a team of BBQ grilling enthusiasts who travel the country raising the BBQ bar. Looking for a creative and entertaining way to promote propane gas grills this spring? You can contact Anna through our group.

Probably the most interesting request for membership this month comes from the Republic of Benin, Africa. Please join with me in welcoming Wilfrid (Willy) Loju of Kerny Technologie. The LPG industry is relatively new to this West African nation. Willy is looking to us for guidance and support in ways that he can develop the LPG industry for the benefit of his country and the environment. He wishes to represent our association as an NGO in his country. Welcome Willy. We’ll help in any way possible. Thank you Baudouin for taking the lead on this contact.

From the law offices of Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, LLP in Tulsa, OK, comes our 100th member. Please say hi to Matthew Christensen. Matthew's firm does Mergers & Acquisition work for a major propane retailer. Prior to attending the University of Kansas Law School, Matthew enlisted in the US Marine Corps and served as a Military Police officer overseas. So far, he’s enjoyed working along side the industry, and expressed interest in learning more about the operational side of our business. Welcome Matthew. I hope we can be of service, and thank you for your service to our country.

Jeremy Simpson, Marketing Manager for Magnum Products in Gretna, NE joined the Young Gassers through our LinkedIn Group. Magnum Products represents MidCom, Total Control Systems and FPP Meters to the industry. Jeremy tells me that he has been very active in developing and promoting the LinkedIn network environment. Thanks for promoting our group to your network in the process. We’re looking forward to your participation.

From Australia, please welcome a 20-year veteran of the propane gas industry. Kevin Sansome is Director of Kreative Solutions Consultancy, located in the Sydney area. Prior to this position he was a General Manager with Elgas, one of the largest propane distributors in Australia. Today, Kevin’s focus, according to his profile, is on “Strategic market consulting and delivering creative solutions to business challenges by innovating new directions.” Thanks and we hope the YG’s can provide a bridge that will lead you in the right direction.

Scot Tenpenny, Director of Corporate Development for Ferrellgas in Overland Park KS, joined our association using the membership form available on our website. We appreciate your support Scot, and we also appreciate the corporate level sponsorship from Ferrell North America. Our thanks to Tom Van Buren, VP of Supply and Wholesale for facilitating this. Tom has also express an interest in taking on more of a leadership role with our association at the state level. Tom, let’s get together and continue that conversation. I’m sure we can make this work.

Please extend an old-school Gassers greeting to our newest corporate sponsor, Proctor Gas President, Jim Taranovich. Located in Proctor VT, Jim’s family has built a strong, independent, retail propane company in the New England market. I enjoyed reading the “About Proctor Gas” link. I can relate to the stories I’ve heard about my grandfather also delivering 100# cylinders out of the back of the family station wagon. Proctor’s origins go back to 1947. Our company began in 1945. We’re very glad to have you aboard.

Merle Edington, Vice President at Liberty Propane in the Greenville, North Carolina region joined us. As did Tony Cotugno, Director of Sales at OSG Billing Services in Englewood, NJ. And finally, please welcome Blair Livingston, Account Manager at AmeriGas in the Greater Savannah, GA area. This last group all joined us yesterday through LinkedIn.

NEWS

The long update today begs that I save some last minute details about our reception and other happenings in Atlanta for another time. Hopefully, over the weekend I’ll have an opportunity to catch up.

For now … All I have left to say is, if you read this far, thanks for your attention.

Kindest regards,

Jim Renaldo,
The Young Gassers Team

This update has been distributed to 111 members.
Please use this link to Opt-Out of future Young Gassers Updates. Thank you and please accept our apologies for the additional E-mail burden.