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Green's Propane Gas Co. Inc.
December 1, 2009 By: Brian Richesson LPGasMike Green and Bill Green represent a generation of propane retailers embracing technology and the digital age.
Managers and co-owners of Green’s Propane Gas Co. Inc., based in Smiths Station, Ala., the brothers are keeping the three-generation family company visible through its Web site and social-networking sites Facebook and Twitter. They were among the first in their area to install GPS systems and laptops on delivery trucks and are transitioning to an electronic billing system.
“I’m in that age group where I’ve been on computers since I was a teenager, and I started out on a computer working here,” says Mike Green, 41. “Some of the older managers didn’t have that. Maybe they’re learning it now on a personal side and realizing some of this stuff can help them.”
Mike Green chuckled when recalling how his grandmother and current co-owner Willie Mae Lambert first refused to allow a computer on her desk. But she ended up learning how to access customer accounts on it anyway.
“We’re learning a little bit all of the time,” Mike Green says.
Green, for example, didn’t wait for someone to teach him Web site design. He taught himself, and continues to improve the company’s site. He launched a simple site several years ago that introduced the company and provided contact information. He plans to improve the site’s graphics, page setup and navigation – with the goal of making it more user-friendly for customers. Specifically, he wants customers to find information about the company’s many products more easily.
Green’s Propane believes the social-networking pages, Facebook and Twitter, give customers more opportunities to contact the company directly and remind them of the Web site address. The online tools also give Green’s Propane an outlet to pass along information about safety or company specials. On Facebook, companies can direct advertising to specific locations or audiences – another strategy Green’s Propane is considering for next year, Mike Green says.
Unlike its competition, Green’s Propane provides several options for deliveries with its five bobtails, Green says. The company has been running delivery routes since his grandfather opened the store in 1962 and will work with customers on options that fit them best.
“Flexibility of service is what we offer,” he says.
TEAM: Managers and co-owners Mike Green and Bill Green run daily operations; their father, Hershal Green, and grandmother, Willie Mae Lambert, are also co-owners.
LOCATION: Smiths Station, Ala., and Waverly Hall, Ga.
FOUNDED: 1962
EMPLOYEES: 15
CUSTOMERS: 10,000
PROPANE SOLD: More than 1 million gallons annually, used mainly for residential home heating, water heating and cooking
ONLINE: www.greenspropanegas.com