Changing the landscape... A sit-down with Nancy Coop, Founding Chair of the NPGA Women in Propane Council GD: Who can be a member of the Council? What sort of benefits do members receive? NC: Membership in the WIP Council is open to all members of the NPGA: men and women. At the Council’s professional development seminars, equal numbers of men and women are routinely counted. WIP members enjoy live professional development training and networking events. Held in conjunction with other industry conferences around the country, videos of training sessions and speeches are also made available to those members who haven’t attended in person. Training sessions include leadership skills, management techniques, effective communication, mentoring benefits, successful negotiations, power networking, customer care and more. One of the benefits members enjoy that impacts their careers is the access to influential people at the council’s networking events. It’s important to note that the council’s programming is made available to all industry members—to paraphrase the idiom, we are looking to raise the tide that lifts all boats GD: What is the scope of the WIP Council? How many members are there? NC: At nearly 700 members, the WIP Council is the fastest-grown business council of the NPGA. Members represent all geographic regions of the country. The focus currently is to develop a strong national organization in these early, building years. Last year, the World Liquid Petroleum Gas Association (WLPGA) announced its intention to establish a network for women in our industry worldwide. Their inspiration came from the WIP Council. Last May, in Berlin, Germany, Women in LPG (WINLPG) was approved and will hold its first meeting in Singapore in September. Continued on p. 25 As part of our ongoing series of articles featuring discussions with influential figures in the liquid fuels and HVAC industries, ICM’s Greg Dool spoke with Nancy Coop, Business Development Executive with Ferrellgas and Founding Chair of the National Propane Gas Association’s (NPGA) Women in Propane Council. Greg Dool: Can you tell us about your background and how you came to be involved with the NPGA? Nancy Coop: When people ask me about how I got into the propane industry, they are surprised to learn that I owned a truck company. As president of JARCO Propane Trucks, a company my dad founded in 1959, I knew that our organization’s expansion relied heavily on the connections I was able to make with large and small propane retailers around the country. I could also see that participating in the NPGA would be an excellent way to continue my dad’s legacy, contribute to the industry at large and serve the needs of our business by keeping up to date. GD: What is the Women in Propane Council’s mission? When was it founded and by whom? NC: The Women in Propane (WIP) Council was established to provide positive opportunities for all members of our industry to support the advancement and success of women in every scope of business operations and professional development. After three years of discussing and garnering support for the concept of a women-in-industry organization, the time came in 2011 to move it forward to the NPGA Executive Committee. A small group of male and female leaders formed a steering committee to establish the mission and bylaws. Then, the structure of a business council under the NPGA umbrella was established. As the only woman on the Executive Committee and champion of the Women in Propane Council’s formation, I presented the concept and received the necessary support from my male colleagues. In January 2012, the NPGA Board of Directors voted to approve establishing the council and I became its founding chair. 10 ICM/Sept/Oct 2015
ICM September-October 2015
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