LP Gas Hall of Fame Inductee – Class of 2023
Steve Ahrens has led the Missouri Propane Gas Association (MPGA) and its related organizations for more than 23 years. He has continually evaluated the role a state association plays on behalf of its members and has moved the focus from traditional expectations into opportunities of greater visibility, outreach and impact. In the process, he has brought about advances that benefit propane marketers everywhere.
Ahrens has represented his members and marketers by consistent attendance at Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and National Propane Gas Association meetings. Outspoken and engaged, he’s an advocate for issues of importance both to his constituents and for his executive director peers. Through this involvement, he has earned a reputation for sound judgment, persuasive reasoning and pioneering vision among colleagues.
Under Ahrens’ leadership, Missouri has either created locally or spurred the development nationally of industry programming. More than a decade ago, Ahrens gathered executive directors and state trainers from six other states in Kansas City, Missouri, to benchmark state propane education programs. Today, PERC’s National Propane Education & Training Conference has assumed that role and reaches hundreds of industry educators.
Also, like other states, Missouri offers appliance rebate programs, but today the state’s residential outreach includes a “Welcome Home” marketing campaign, a “Propane HomePro” construction tie-in and a “Propane TechTeam” equipment and training component for high school building trades classes.
Industry colleagues relate that Ahrens is a supporter of strategic partnerships and multi-state collaborations, such as regional trade shows and workforce development programs. Ahrens’ board members remark on his effective servant leadership, his sense of humor and an overriding focus on taking appropriate risks that can benefit the industry.
Ahrens, 65, lives in Jefferson City, Missouri. In addition to his longtime role as head of Missouri’s propane organizations (MPGA, MOPERC, MLPGA Inc.), he assumed leadership of the Arkansas Propane Gas Association in June 2022.