Tom Van Buren, Rob Chalmers and now Chris Hill.
Hill’s selection as the new chairman of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) completes a trifecta for the leadership team at Meritum Energy Holdings. Van Buren (2015-17) and Chalmers (2018-19) preceded Hill as PERC’s top volunteer leading its executive committee, and Hill’s new role continues the Texas company’s heavy involvement in the propane industry.
Read more by clicking here.
Photo by LP Gas staff
Article Source: LP Gas Magazine, Author: Brian Richesson, July 30, 2025
Tom Van Buren’s appointment to chair of the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) board of directors carries historical significance.
Van Buren, COO and executive vice president at Pico Propane and Fuels, part of the Meritum Energy Holdings group, became the sixth person in the industry’s history to chair both NPGA and the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) during their careers. He joins Milford Therrell, Daryl McClendon, David Lugar, Glenn Saunders and Stuart Weidie. Van Buren served as PERC chair from 2015-17.
Van Buren also enjoyed an up-close look at history in the making when Paula Wilson and Michelle Bimson Maggi became the first female chairs of PERC and NPGA, respectively. During their respective tenures, Wilson with PERC in 2013-15 and Bimson Maggi with NPGA in 2022-23, Van Buren served as secretary of PERC and vice chair of NPGA.
“That was both cool and awesome to see, and I learned so much from both,” he says of Wilson and Bimson Maggi.
Van Buren’s rise to NPGA chair also adds to his Meritum colleagues’ involvement in the industry. Meritum President and CEO Christopher Hill is the current vice chair of marketers for PERC, while Robert Chalmers, executive vice president and CFO at Meritum, served on the PERC council with Van Buren and later became chair as well.
Read more by clicking here.
Article Source: LP Gas Magazine, Author: Brian Richesson, June 17, 2024
When faced with the challenge that was 2020, propane marketers surveyed for this year’s LP Gas Top Propane Retailers rose to the occasion – and, in some cases, rose through the ranks.. After moving up the list for five consecutive years, Energy Distribution Partners (EDP) enters the Top 10 this year.
Read more by clicking here.
Here’s a look at the merger and acquisition activity LP Gas tracked over the past year and one seller’s experience with navigating the acquisition process.
Read more by clicking here.
As the structure of the propane industry transforms, so too must LP Gas’ Top Propane Retailer rankings.. You’ll notice, for instance, that we’ve dropped the Master Limited Partnerships (MLP) category in favor of simply “Majors” to highlight the top three propane retailers: AmeriGas Propane, Ferrellgas and Suburban Propane, respectively.
Read more by clicking here.
Meritum Energy Holdings, LP Announces Acquisition of Pico Petroleum and Closing of Limited Partnership and Capital Raise. Meritum Energy Holdings, LP (“Meritum”) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Pico Petroleum, a propane and fuel distribution business.
Read more by clicking here.
Two former JP Energy Partners executives recently founded Meritum Energy Holdings to acquire, own and operate propane and natural gas liquids (NGL)-related assets.
Christopher Hill, president and CEO, and Rob Chalmers, executive vice president and CFO, founded Meritum. Chalmers spent the previous four-and-a-half years at JP Energy Partners with Hill building its NGL segment and developing Pinnacle Propane, a company that sold 60 million gallons of propane in 2014.
“We are well-capitalized and look forward to developing the partnership,” Chalmers says of Meritum.