LP Gas Hall of Fame Inductee – Class of 2023
Billy Prim founded what has become the nation’s largest propane cylinder exchange company. In the process, he helped increase consumer access to barbecue grill cylinders and create new propane users who learned about the versatility and portability of propane.
It all started during an African photo safari, the company explains. Prim saw a rhino during the safari and thought it looked like a propane tank. He added “blue” to the name, depicting the color of a propane flame. Blue Rhino opened in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1994.
Prim grew the brand through relationships with big box retailers and a nationwide network of independent distributors. Blue Rhino grew from just a handful of locations to about 29,000 selling locations in 49 states and Puerto Rico when it merged with Ferrellgas in 2004. Later that year, as Prim began his transition out of the propane industry, he founded Primo Water.
His legacy in the propane industry lives on, as Blue Rhino propane exchange is available at more than 60,000 locations across the U.S.
Not only did Prim and Blue Rhino help fuel Americans’ love of backyard grilling, but they also expanded the use of propane through other products, including patio heaters, fire pits and mosquito traps.
Prim helped inspire the creation of the National Propane Gas Association’s Cylinder Exchange Council, and he served as its first chairman.
Prim, 66, resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and remains active in Primo Water.