×
×
homepage logo

Station named top renewable fuel marketer

By Staff | Apr 24, 2009

Delayne Johnson, general manager of Galva Holstein Ag, notes that the company's blender pump near Galva, along U.S. Highway 20, allows motorists to choose from E10, E30 and E85 ethanol blends.

GALVA – Ida County claimed another distinction in 2009, when Galva Holstein Ag received the Biodiesel and Ethanol Marketing Award from the Iowa secretary of sgriculture. The award honors fuel marketers that have gone “above and beyond” in their efforts to sell renewable fuels.

“We’re fortunate to have customers and supporters who understand the importance of renewable energy,” said Delayne Johnson, general manager of Galva Holstein Ag, which became the first fuel retailer in Iowa to install an ethanol blender pump. Blender pumps allow customers with FlexFuel vehicles to select from a number of different ethanol blends. In fact, Galva has one of only nine blender pumps currently operating in the state.

In addition, Galva Holstein Ag has aggressively marketed E85 and has seen very strong sales, even though their pumps are located in rural communities. Their promotional efforts have included newspaper articles and advertisements, radio talk shows, company newsletters, direct mail to owners of FlexFuel vehicles, signage and auto dealer/service technician training.

“When we started selling E85 about three years ago, we were told to anticipate sales of 500 gallons a month, but the volume we sell per capita is extremely large,” said Johnson, who noted that blender pumps allow motorists to choose from E10, E30 or E85. “Today, we regularly sell 8,000 to 10,000 gallons per month, per site.”

Fueling Iowa’s future

Iowa is a leader in the production of renewable fuels, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Iowa has 35 ethanol refineries with a combined annual capacity of over 3 billion gallons in operation.

In addition, Iowa is the leading producer of biodiesel, with 14 plants producing nearly 318 million gallons of biodiesel annually from products grown in the state.

“Iowa is truly the national leader in renewable fuels, and its retailers and distributors are the link between that industry and the customers who are using the product,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. “Galva Holstein Ag has made promoting renewable fuels an important part of their businesses, and this award was an opportunity to recognize them for their efforts.”

Contact Darcy Dougherty Maulsby by e-mail at yettergirl@yahoo.com.