NEFI’s new Chairperson strategically expanded his family’s 100-year-old business, and is bringing similar ideas to his new position.
Steve Walsh comes out on top every time he faces a challenge.
Leaving a family business to strike out on his own? Returning to that family business 20 years later, and leading it to its 100-year anniversary and beyond? Taking the company in new directions and opening up new revenue streams? Creating a warm, loving family with his wife of more than three decades? All “big” challenges that he not only met but exceeded expectations.
Walsh’s latest challenge? Taking the leadership role as Chairperson of the NEFI Board of Directors. He is already making plans for a successful term.
Goals and Expectations
Before Walsh is ready to talk about his next two years, he first takes a minute to acknowledge his immediate predecessor, Ted Noonan, for his “extraordinary commitment, steady vision, and quiet determination,” as NEFI Chair. He also credits those previous chairs and board members who mentored him: Ray Hart, Marty Kirshner, Claudette Townsend, Charlie Uglietto, Jim Townsend, Mike Estes, and Diane Quesnelle, whom he says helped shape how he sees the role of the board of directors and the chairperson.
At the June 18, 2026, Annual Member Meeting at which Walsh was officially elected and installed as Chairperson, the NEFI board of directors also approved wide-ranging changes to the association’s bylaws, which included:
- Updating the Industry Scope and Organizational Purpose to reflect the full breadth and diversification of NEFI’s membership.
- Adjusting the Membership Categories to reduce confusion, remove barriers to membership growth, and clarify the rights and privileges associated with each class. The new bylaws also replaced the complex “Delegates” system with a one-member, one-vote provision.
- Reducing the board from a range of 15-80 directors to a minimum of 20 with no prescribed maximum, of which 60% of the appointed directors must be comprised of Fuel Retailers.
- Reducing the number of standing committees from six to four: Executive, Finance, Government Affairs, and Nominating Committees. All other committees will be formed on an ad hoc basis as needed, including HEAT Show, other events, marketing, and others.
- Implementing other provisions which will streamline and modernize the bylaws by removing antiquated or those of an operational or administrative nature.
Yes, Walsh knew that these changes to NEFI’s operations and scope were on the horizon when he accepted the nomination, and is energized to start.
“Steve is one of the most dedicated people I know,” said NEFI President and CEO Jim Collura. “His passion for this industry was on full display in his role as Vice Chair these past two years. He has been involved in revising our bylaws, reinvigorating our education offerings, and bolstering our government affairs work, offering to fly to DC for high-profile meetings on a moment’s notice. Steve believes deeply in the NEFI mission and is determined to grow the organization to better serve the delivered fuels industry. We are very lucky to have him as our new Chairperson.”
In his comments after formally accepting the Chairperson position at the Annual Meeting, Walsh said, “I come from a small, family business — one that has been serving customers for a hundred years and has been a proud member of NEFI for decades. I say that not to impress you, but because most of you in this room have a similar story. You know what it means to build something, to fight for it, and to keep it running through every market shift, every regulatory challenge, and every hard winter.
“I’ll be honest with you: until I got directly involved with NEFI two years ago, I did not fully appreciate what was happening behind the scenes here. What I discovered were extraordinarily talented, genuinely unselfish people pouring themselves into this work — not for recognition, not for compensation, but because they believe in this industry and in each other.
“Think about that for a moment. Most every person on this Board is running a demanding, fast-paced business back home. They are managing employees, serving customers, navigating an industry in transition — and yet they volunteer their time, their energy, and their expertise to strengthen NEFI as a whole. That kind of commitment is rare. And it is exactly why I am proud to lead this organization.”
One of his first challenges is to enact and incorporate the changes in membership categories and scope, which will enable NEFI to support and represent the full breadth of its members’ businesses – diversified fuels, home comfort services, and more.
“I would say my first task will be to look at the association the same way we looked at growing our own business: strategically. Seeing what makes sense. The ultimate goal is to make sure NEFI reflects who our members are, and are we serving all the industries we should be. At the end of the day, Ted and Ray have left us in a really good position, but I think we can grow membership without losing our base.”
Walsh is well aware that fuel retailers – NEFI’s core members – are no longer defined solely by heating oil deliveries. The companies that thrive have diversified to sell a variety of fuels and provide expansive home services. He believes that NEFI needs to evolve to reflect its members evolution. “That means broadening our advocacy focus to champion a diverse, multi-fuel industry. And it may well mean exploring a new name — one that matches how our members actually go to market today,” he adds.
To that end, one of his first orders of business will be to form an ad hoc committee to look at branding and marketing. “We need to look for new ways to seal the deal with prospective members who have shown interest but not yet joined, and to find out who else we can reach, and how,” Walsh said.
“NEFI, like all businesses and organizations, will have challenges that it continues to face, but we have great advocacy in Washington and we need to keep it strong,” Walsh adds. “We have brilliant leaders in Jim, the NEFI team and the board members. Our brand, our logo, and our messaging must reflect the full breadth of what we actually do: the education we provide, the advocacy we deliver in Washington, and the benefits we bring to members at the national level — while honoring the local roots that define the industry.”
The reduction in standing committees was a welcome change, Walsh believes, that will give NEFI more flexibility and make it more efficient. Again, he stresses, any change will not divert NEFI from its mission to represent fuel retailers, noting that under the new bylaws, 60 percent of the board must be fuel retailers. While the change in committee structure removed the standing Events Committee, Walsh and the NEFI Board will be forming a 2027 HEAT Show Committee as soon as possible. “We want to build off from the 2025 show and make it a big success,” he said.
Experience Rooted in History
Walsh is the third-generation owner of the family business that his grandfather and company founder, J. Earl Davis, founded as Davis Coal & Oil in 1926.
A 1942 publication on “The Industries of Keene” noted that “In 1937, with the use of residential oil burners becoming more generally accepted, another change in the policy of the company was made, one in line with the evident trend. Householders saw how conveniently oil burners operated; saw cleaner heating methods and saw a chance to ‘get away from the ashes;’ and they saw it could all be done without any great increase in fuel costs. Consequently, with a vastly increasing sale of oil burners, Mr. Davis ceased to include coal and wood in his wares.”
As with everything he tackles, Walsh was quickly making plans for growth. He, along with his wife, children, and sister, looked at ways to evolve the company. “We went from just selling fuel to investing in three storage tanks. One was for Bioheat – B20 – as an option for customers looking for lower emissions. In New Hampshire, we didn’t have to do that. There weren’t, and still aren’t, any legislative fuel standards, but we thought it would be a good idea. We still have it for those who want a lower carbon product. We also added clear and dyed diesel.” Davis Oil & Propane is the only fuel dealer in the region offering a B20 option, and he has plans to increase that to B50, especially now that the ASTM has revised its standards to include the higher blend.
A few years ago, Walsh bought his sister out and diversified the company once again, adding propane to his product line.
“That’s been the right thing to do, too. We’re seeing it paying back quickly. It’s a real feeling of growth. My sister ‘retired’ when we bought her out. She wasn’t sure about bringing in the propane. It’s been three years, and she still works 50 hours a week with us in the winter. She loves the customers, and all the new customers, and loves the growth. She has really allowed us to do what we’ve done in the past 9 years,” Walsh said, adding, “It’s fun to think of different ways to evolve.”
The Family Behind the Family Business
Walsh and Leah were high school sweethearts who have now been married for 33 years and raised their two children “on a dead-end street in Keene.” Elizabeth, 26, is a nurse practitioner in Keene. Joseph, 24, had worked at Davis for a while, and has now, like his father before him, ventured out on his own. But not too far. “We had a tight-knit family that, fortunately, still likes us,” he says proudly, noting that both children have purchased property from neighbors on that dead end street to build their own homes. Walsh adds that both children love the family business and offer their input when decisions need to be made, and he believes that in time, “the succession will happen,” to bring the company into its fourth generation of Davis/Walsh family ownership.
When the children were growing up, Walsh and his wife were involved in their sports teams, especially hockey; coaching and traveling with the teams. Elizabeth played hockey at the University of New England. Now that their coaching days are behind them, Walsh and Leah enjoy spending time around their home or vacationing in warmer regions, such as Florida or Turks and Caicos … or any other locale south of Florida.
In closing – looking forward
Walsh is looking forward to the work ahead to bring NEFI’s new bylaws into being.
“NEFI has a good future ahead; but it will constantly be a work in progress. I want people to know that I am an open door. I want people’s input, even if it doesn’t align with my thoughts. At the end of the day, that’s how we will come up with the right choices to grow,” he says.
“This is something we will build together, because it belongs to all of us,” Walsh concludes.
