The Propane Education & Research Council has added four staff members to its business development and industry relations units, according to President and CEO Tucker Perkins 

“The newest additions to our team — Stephen Whaley, Joseph Calhoun, Erin Lee, and Rachel Hrabik — make us stronger in at least two key areas, business growth, and customer service,” Perkins said. “They bring experience, expertise, and drive to their work on behalf of the propane industry.”

Stephen Whaley manages the over-the-road market portfolio for PERC. He is responsible for growing propane autogas market share in on-highway light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle markets. He focuses on new product research and development, product launches, maintenance and growth in existing market segments, and potential new market development opportunities.

Whaley ran his own consulting company for the last four years. Before that, as eastern U.S. regional sales manager for Agility Fuel Solutions in North Carolina, he helped develop Class 7 and 8 vehicle fleet markets for natural gas. He also trained and supported heavy-duty truck dealers with their fleet customers’ adoption into CNG and LNG implementation. Whaley was formerly director of business development for Roush CleanTech and oversaw research and business development for Blossman Propane. He was director at the Graphic Arts Institute and Printing Industries of Northern California.

Joseph Calhoun leads PERC initiatives to grow propane demand by working directly with partners across multiple industries. He is responsible for business development, product development, and market development activities, which includes outreach, communications, education, research, product development, technical integrations, and product commercialization.

Before coming to PERC, Calhoun worked for RegO Products as business development manager for the propane and industrial gas markets. Before RegO, he was national business development manager for Robinson Pipe and Vessel in De Pere, Wisconsin. Calhoun has also served as the business development manager at TransTech Energy in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, regional sales manager for Ray Murray, director of corporate business development with Paraco Gas, and manager of customer service and logistics at American Welding and Tank.

Erin Lee provides customer support for the fulfillment center and provides primary support for grant administration by performing initial application review and final report analyses. She also performs general administration duties and assists with preparation and planning for industry programs and meetings.

Lee was senior quality assurance specialist with SoundExchange in Washington, D.C., for seven years. There she led Salesforce CRM training programs, developed business rules and processes, and provided customer service, among other duties.

Rachel Hrabik administers PERC incentive programs and supports the business development team. Most recently she was sales associate for the Farm Bureau Financial Services in Syracuse, Nebraska, for four years. Prior to that, Hrabik was an account manager with Swanson Russell, where she worked on the PERC account. She has also been a family services specialist with the Department of Health and Human Services.