May 1, 2020
Governor Holcomb Announces "Back on Track Indiana"
Today, Governor Eric Holcomb announced a five stage plan called “Back on Track Indiana” which would result in the slow resumption of all economic activity in Indiana. Governor Holcomb announced these stages in conjunction with steps to help individuals, businesses and the health care system to continue to operate in a safe manner. The plan targets a July 4 th return to normal operations—Stage 5. Stages 1-4 will slowly build up to normal operations across all sectors of the economy.
 
For more information about the “Back on Track” plan, click here.
Updates from PERC
The COVID situation has not stopped the staff at PERC from continuing to provide resources to the industry. Below are several updates from national PERC: 

Annual Sales Report 
The reporting period for the 2019 Report is open! Marketers need to submit their 2019 sales report by June 1, 2020 via the online portal: www.propane.com/salesreport . If you have any questions, please email salesreport@propane.com . PERC has a team that can help with account and survey questions. 

New Items on propane.com

CETP Skills Assessment
PERC has delayed the requirement for the 12-month field assessment until August 1, 2020. This date may be extended depending on COVID-19 in-person distancing recommendations. 

Advisory Committee Meeting
The upcoming in-person meeting originally scheduled for next week has been cancelled. Instead, PERC will be hosting a virtual meeting on May 6-7. 

Propane Can Do That
PERC launched the 2020 Propane Can Do That homeowner campaign on Monday, April 13th. This year’s campaign is more of an educational engagement campaign that will not feature giveaways. You’ll see updated messaging and photography, focusing more on the environment this year.
Great Lakes Propane Convention: Registration is Open
Registration is open! Plan now to attend the Great Lakes Propane Convention, July 28-30 at the JW Marriott in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This year, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio will come together for a joint summer convention.
 
  • Bring your employees! The convention will offer education for owners, managers, customer service representatives, drivers and technicians.
  • Join us a day early for the Great Lakes Sales Summit, offered by the Propane Education & Research Council on Monday, July 27. The Sales Summit is an opportunity for marketers to receive a regionally customized learning opportunity focusing on growth.
  • Golf in the Great Lakes Propane Cup! Represent your state in a friendly competition for complete bragging rights and take home the Propane Cup trophy.
 
Don’t miss this opportunity to collaborate with propane colleagues from neighboring states!


Update on FEMA Masks
Last week, NPGA sent a very time sensitive alert to all NPGA members related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) ability to ship cloth masks    to essential critical infrastructure workers, including essential propane workers. As a result of that alert, NPGA forwarded to government officials working with FEMA a request that totaled over 57,000 cloth masks to be shipped directly to over 1,200 member locations. 
 
Regarding the cloth masks themselves: 
  • There is no charge for the masks. 
  • The masks can be washed about 15 times. 
  • They are not flame retardant. 
 
Regarding the status of distribution    as provided by the government officials who are coordinating with FEMA: 
  • The cloth masks are in the process of being shipped and should be at their final destination by the end of next week. 
  • Nobody is expected to receive all that they asked for. FEMA’s goal is to make sure that every company that submitted a timely request received some masks, even if less than the requested amount. 
  • Overall, FEMA received requests for nearly 2.5 million masks across the entire energy sector, but only had supply of 1 million masks for energy. 
  • For those who do not receive their entire requested amount, FEMA will keep track of the difference shipped versus requested and account for that in the next round of requests to industry. 
  • It is not clear if or when the next round of requests will occur. 
 
NPGA will share any additional information on this matter as it becomes available.
Propane Days and NPGA June Board Meeting Modifications
Given the continued uncertainty around restrictions on large gatherings and travel as well as expected limitations on Congressional meetings in Washington, DC, NPGA is modifying this year’s Propane Days and annual Board meeting, scheduled for June 14-17. The following changes have been made:
 
  • Leadership Summit scheduled for Sunday, June 14, is cancelled.
  • Marketers Meeting will be held via webinar from 11 a.m. - Noon ET on Monday, June 15.
  • NPGA Board meeting will be held via webinar from 1– 3 p.m. ET on Monday, June 15.
  • Capitol Hill visits will be replaced by a combination of regional calls between NPGA members and Members of Congress utilizing member input, as well as visits to local Congressional district offices later this year.
  • PAC Event will be moved to webinar format (details to be determined).
 
We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through developing further details of these events.
IPGA offers CETP and non-certified employee training for those employed in the propane industry or looking to obtain propane training certification. To make training more accessible to everyone, classes are held in multiple locations. Classes are open to members and non-members and pre-registration is necessary. Due to Indiana’s current stay-at-home order, changes have been made to the schedule. For the most current information, click here.
Indiana Propane Resume Bank
Last year the Indiana Propane Gas Association (along with our Michigan and Ohio counterparts) obtained a PERC grant for a workforce development recruitment program. Among the goals of the project was a new website specifically geared at helping attract new talent into the propane industry ( www.propanecareers.net ). As part of the project, it is IPGA’s goal to share applicants with propane retailers and members in the applicant’s area. As such, the IPGA will be providing resumes for potential job applicants. Click here to learn more.
President's Council Members
Indiana Propane Gas Association
317.655.4444