The New Look of Propane

PERC introduces new logo and tagline, “energy for everyone”

Jackson County, Georgia, 2008: Sheriff Stan Evans — a farmer who was familiar with propane from his experience using it to heat chicken coops — agreed to convert his police department’s fleet of 85 Crown Victoria Interceptors to propane autogas.

“This was a big deal,” recalled Stephen Whaley during the 2021 HEAT Show. In addition to providing a high-profile venue for propane, the sheriff had also provided Whaley with his first major sale as a member of the research and development team at Blossman Gas. In turn, Sheriff Evans asked Whaley to travel on his behalf to Anaheim, California to speak with the National Sheriffs’ Association about the project.

In prepping for the event, Whaley asked the sheriff about his reasons for investing in propane autogas. Was it the cost savings? “No,” the sheriff replied. The environmental benefits? “Heck no!” he said.  

“Then why?” Whaley asked.

“I was tired of sending money overseas to people who like to hurt my friends,” the sheriff replied.

Whaley opened his presentation during the 2021 HEAT Show with this anecdote as a way of showing how consumer attitudes influence product consumption and brand development. “Back then, we had a tremendous amount of emphasis on domestic energy and being independent from foreign energy sources,” he said. “Today, our leaders, influencers and purchasers have a different mindset.”

Now the director of autogas business development for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), Whaley spoke with HEAT Show attendees about the sociopolitical pressures today’s propane marketers face, along with the focus-group testing PERC embarked on in response to these challenges. The organization found that today’s consumers are much more concerned with affordability, equitability, and environmental sustainability than energy independence. This was especially true in places like New England and California, but similar trends were observed throughout the U.S.

These findings were the impetus for the new branding that PERC President and CEO Tucker Perkins has unveiled in recent months and that Whaley shared at the HEAT Show. The new tagline, “energy for everyone,” was chosen to promote the fuel’s economic and environmental benefits to a wide audience of commercial and residential customers. This is accompanied by a multicolored pixilated flame logo designed to represent propane’s applications for different communities across the country.

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