Diverse Customers Depend on Federated

Federated Co-op’s Mora propane office—and its delivery crews at Mora, Glen, and McGrath, MN—deliver liquefied gas to a variety of users.

On the northern end of this delivery chain, the Glen customers are a mix of retired residential users on the lakes and seasonal commercial users like restaurants and resorts. Thirty miles southeast of Glen, at McGrath, Federated delivers propane mostly to residences occupied all year round. Thirty miles south of McGrath, on Highway 65, the co-op’s Mora location serves both farmers and residents of this Twin Cities bedroom community.

At all three locations, Federated provides propane delivery, tank setting, leak testing, and light service work, such as converting natural gas appliances to burn propane. However, the priorities of the customers vary from location to location.

For retired residents, convenience is very important. “A lot of them moved to the lake from the Metro or from Duluth where they were served by natural gas,” says location manager Jim Gutzwiller.

“They didn’t have anything to watch other than making their monthly payments and they don’t want to wake up in the morning and find out by taking a cold shower that they’ve run out of propane.” If propane is their main source of heat, Federated’s scheduled delivery program is a perfect fit.

“It doesn’t cost them any extra to have our delivery people automatically show up with more gas when the tank reaches 20%,” says Jim. “It’s simple, and as long as they keep their account current, they don’t need to worry about a thing.”

For businesses like restaurants and resorts, which serve recreational customers like fishermen and snowmobilers, making sure LP gas is delivered promptly at a competitive price makes all the difference. Likewise, farmers use a lot of gas in the fall to dry their crops. “Having the manpower and product to take care of these high-demand customers in a timely manner is most important.”

What all customers appreciate
Whether seasonal or residential, there are certain aspects of Federated Co-ops propane supply program that keep customers coming back. “One thing all of our customers appreciate is that we do not charge them any hidden fees or delivery charges,” says Jim. “Our price per gallon is their only expense.”

Customers also appreciate the training and experience of Federated propane employees. “Many have been in the business for 10, 15, or even 30 years,” says Jim, noting that this says something about their satisfaction and eagerness to please.”

Federated Co-ops employees are local and very much involved in the communities where they work. “Our employees volunteer on the fair board, the school board, the township board, Pheasants Forever, and many other community organizations,” says Jim, noting that two of his employees, a man and a woman, are gun safety instructors in their communities.

“Price and service being equal,” states Jim, “people still buy from people they know and trust.” That’s Federated Co-op’s brand promise: “People who care. Products you trust. Value for life.”