State Director Report June 2022

Michelle Bimson Maggi Appointed as NPGA Chair; NPGA Officers Sworn In

Michelle Bimson Maggi, Vice President Law – AmeriGas, was sworn in as the Chair of the National Propane Gas Association on June 10. She becomes the first woman to chair the association.

While Ms. Bimson Maggi has been involved with NPGA for many years, the role of chair is one that will cater to her strengths. Steve Kaminski, President & CEO of NPGA noted, “Michelle is not just a strong leader, but also a great mentor and teacher. She may be the first through this door, but her efforts to support and build a diverse workforce means she won’t be the last.”

“I am honored to have been selected as Chair of NPGA,” said Bimson Maggi. “I look forward to working closely with the NPGA leadership team and our 2,400 members to expand NPGA’s advocacy, education, and diversity and inclusion efforts. The propane industry, powered by more than 57,000 American workers, is a critical part of our nation’s economy. We can use our collective voice to convey to the public important messages about the benefits of propane — and to advocate for how propane companies make positive contributions to the environment.”

The officer slate for 2022-23 was also confirmed at the meeting. Jeff Stewart of Blue Star Gas will serve as Chair-Elect; Tom Van Buren of Meritum Energy Holdings will serve as Vice Chair; and Mike Hopsicker of Ray Murray, Inc. will serve as Treasurer.

Propane Days

NPGA hosted a successful 2022 Propane Days this month. Due to limitations in accessing the Capitol Complex, the Association organized nearly 20 virtual meetings with over 100 participants. During these meetings, NPGA’s legislative staff and association members discussed with Members of Congress and their staff the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit, Line 5, and the Clean School Bus Program. In addition, NPGA hosted numerous panels and discussed NPGA’s advocacy work with the Legislative and Executive branches.

Propane Days kicked off with a presentation from Dr. Scott Tinker, Director, Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. He discussed his efforts to bring together industry, government, and academia to identify opportunities to create change in the energy and environmental sectors.

Following Dr. Tinker, NPGA staff led numerous panels. The first panel covered the Association’s coalition efforts to work with like-minded groups. Participants included the Business Council for Sustainable Energy; Transportation Energy Partners, and the National Energy and Fuels Institute. Additionally, Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid Partners led an across-the-aisle forum where the group discussed the inner workings of Washington and how bipartisanship still exists on Capitol Hill.

Finally, Sarah Reboli, Vice President, Regulatory and Industry Affairs at NPGA, led a fireside chat with former Deputy Administrator for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Drue Pearce. The advocacy portion closed with a Capitol Hill reception where dozens of Members of Congress and their senior staff welcomed NPGA members to the city.

New Constitution Approved

After more than a year of discussion and review, the Constitution, Rules & Procedures Subcommittee completed their efforts to update and streamline NPGA’s Constitution and Rules & Procedures documents. The changes modernize the language for clarity and equalize the terms of the Board Directors to two (2) years with half of the Board scheduled for elections each year. The Subcommittee and NPGA Executive Committee voted unanimously to approve the updates, which were presented to the NPGA Members for approval and adoption. Members voted to adopt the new document, which is available on the Member Dashboard, under the Benefits & Services tab.

Chair’s Citations

Chair Bob Barry awarded five citations to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the industry.

Dave Bertelson (Matheson Tri-Gas) has been a valued member of every committee that he has participated in, including his time on the NPGA Executive Committee. He also mentored many propane professionals at all levels of the industry.

Kim Colburn (BP Energy Company) recently retired after more than 30 years in the upstream, petrochemical and commodity trading divisions. He was a member of NPGA’s Executive Committee and serves in the leadership of NPGA’s Propane Supply & Logistics Committee and Propane Producers & Wholesalers Section.

Andy Lambert served 38 years with SchagrinGAS, progressing from Service Tech to Service Manager to Operations Manager to Operations VP. He held various offices in both the Mid Atlantic Propane Gas Association and NPGA over the years, and has made too many contributions to the propane industry to list them all.

Bruce Montroy (Bergquist, Inc.) was instrumental in the development of the Certified Employee Training Program (CETP) and has served on the NPGA Board as a representative of the Distributor Section and also as State Director for Michigan. He is a past President of the Michigan Propane Gas Association and was a Councilor for the Michigan PERC.

Leslie Woodward (Fairview USA) has provided significant contributions to the codes and standards advocacy program at NPGA, including chairing the Technology, Standards and Safety Committee from 2011 to 2013. She is an important player in tactfully navigating the sometimes-stormy waters of codes and standards harmonization between the Canadian and U.S. propane industries.

State Director of the Year (Ohio)
Joe Buschur (McMahan’s Bottle Gas) is a voice of reason on the NPGA Executive Committee, a big supporter of both the state and national PACs, and a huge proponent of Propane Days. He was presented with this award an unprecedented 2^nd time.

NPGA Welcomes New Directors

Connor	Alexander	Global Gas	Producer & Wholesaler Director
Jim	Blake	Eastern Propane	Rhode Island Director
Angela	Branchi	Grammer Logistics	Transportation & Storage Director
John	Corallo	Home Gas	International Section Director
Frank	Edwards	Coles Energy	Ohio Director
Amanda	Gage	Intermountain Trucking	Utah Director
Heather	Granzin	AmeriGas Propane LP	Chair, Propane Supply & Logistics
Mike	Hayden	Co-Alliance	Indiana Director
Stephanie	Hennen	Lakes Gas	District 3 Director
Ray	Kazakewich	R.E. Michel Company	Distributor Director
Paul	Ladner	AmeriGas Propane LP	Director-at-Large
Cinch	Munson	Oberon Fuels	Producer & Wholesaler Director
Rita	Pecilunas	Otodata	Manufacturers Director
Ryan	Roper	NGL Energy Partners	Producer & Wholesaler Director
David	Schmidt	Fisher LP Gas Equipment	Manufacturers Director
Jeff	Stanton	Superior Plus Propane	Connecticut Director
Nicole	Sullivan	Anderson Propane Services	Director-at-Large
Erich	Wolf	Cavagna Group	Chair, Technology, Safety & Standards
Mark	Zimora	Tankfarm LLC	Services Section Director