Blog

OBITUARY: Holbrook Cole Bissell, Jr.: 1935-2020

Holbrook Cole Bissell, Jr., former president of Time Saving Fills in York, Pennsylvania, where he had a long career, died on June 21. He was 85. For 30 years, Bissell had lived in Dorset, Vermont, where he enjoyed fishing, hunting and skiing. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 23, 1935, the son of Holbrook, Sr. and Gertrude, Bissell spent his ...

Read More »

A Huge Victory in Massachusetts

By Shane Sweet It’s no secret to marketers of propane and heating oil: There are those who work daily to do us ill. This includes activists who seek our complete and utter demise, often with inflammatory, unsubstantiated claims. Some of these activists seem to believe every word they utter. Others, it seems, are pursuing an agenda, a means to a ...

Read More »

Par for Py: A Fundraiser

Par for Py is set for Aug. 31 at the Brunswick Golf Club in Brunswick, Maine. In October 2019 Jamie Py, then president of the Maine Energy Marketers Association, suffered a severe stroke, causing him to be unable to work for the foreseeable future. MEMA will be using its annual golf tournament to show its admiration of and appreciation for ...

Read More »

Biodiesel is Tackling the Climate Crisis

This summer, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released its final report and recommendations for legislative and regulatory measures to address carbon emissions. The report provided an action plan, including a national Low Carbon Fuel Standard that would reach the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Robert Morton, chairman of Newport Biodiesel, Inc., and a board ...

Read More »

Is There a Future for Hydronics?

Consolidation, new products, and improved efficiency are reshaping the hydronics segment, says Mike McDonnell. “Is There a Future for Hydronics?” was the title of a talk McDonnell gave to the Heating, Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration Distributors International, a trade group of wholesaler distributors. And he talked further on the subject in a recent phone call. “Many people in the industry look at ...

Read More »

Survival

Ask him what’s the biggest, most pressing industry issue he is dealing with in his position as executive director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association and Matt Cota answers with one word: “Survival.” And then of course, being the head of a state association, he elaborates. The specific challenge for VFDA members, he says in a phone interview with Fuel ...

Read More »

Accepting Payments During Covid-19

As we are adjusting to business during Covid-19 the way we interact with our employees and customers has changed, writes Marci Gagnon. “Not only do we need to create new operational processes to keep employees and customers safe, we need to rethink how we accept certain types of payment,” Gagnon says. Here, the vice president of strategic alliances for Qualpay ...

Read More »

‘Decarbonization’ in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is pursuing a “decarbonization” plan, prioritized by Gov. Gina Raimondo. Prepared for the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers and the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, a study, delivered on April 23, examines the relative “economic attractiveness” of several solutions for decarbonizing the heating sector, The Brattle Group, a research firm that produced the study, ...

Read More »

Earth Day Guest Column

“As our country continues to grapple with the unprecedented health crisis from the COVID-19 outbreak, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day has come upon us as a reminder of another challenge,” writes Michael A. Stivala, president of Suburban Propane Partners: “How to reduce our carbon footprint amidst the concern over the effects of climate change.” Stivala addresses that challenge here, ...

Read More »

Coronavirus Wreaks Havoc

The dire risk to public health posed by the coronavirus pandemic is forcing changes in workplace policies, including in the offices of fuel marketers. And to try to limit its spread, organizers of industry expos, conventions and conferences have announced postponements. The National Propane Gas Association canceled an upcoming conference and expo. Further details on those changes appear below. Meanwhile, ...

Read More »