SOURCE | Spring 2022 25
Diesel Fuel tank ready for delivery , Dagsboro
Propane tanks in Dagsboro
Filling station , Centreville
Expansion is Key to Long-Term Growth The business unit aims to expand further off the Delmarva peninsula and eventually bridge the distance to its New York service area with more locations . Potential new business sectors to spur this growth include marine fuel , forklift supply , auto gas , and landscape fleet service . Non-ethanol fuel , preferred by marine and business fleets , doesn ’ t contain the manufactured corn syrup present in ethanol fuel , which can ruin small engines when sitting for extended periods . This fuel type , and more , are available in Centreville and part of the expanding products available to support new business in the region .
Schatz cites transparency as the key to managing customer expectations .
“ We are honest about what we can and can ’ t do ,” he says . “ We don ’ t have capacity yet to service the full potential of business we can get , and we won ’ t promise what we can ’ t deliver .”
Poised for Long-Term Success Along with these new physical assets joining GROWMARK FS , the acquisition of the energy business brought experienced service professionals with abundant product and safety knowledge . Right away , they hit the ground running with ideas for marketing and building brand awareness . This ranges from the low-tech to dynamic Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) for leads online .
“ Southern States was extremely active in the paid click marketing game ,” says
Schatz . “ It was effective and brought us dozens of leads a day .”
GROWMARK FS is working towards a similar advertising campaign strategy , leveraging the resources of GROWMARK , Inc . to boost website traffic and engagement .
Locally , high visual impact is key in a competitive energy market . For the winter and spring season , residents of the Delmarva are seeing a newly wrapped Propane Bobtail truck featuring FFA . A portion of revenue from sales from that truck will be donated to FFA at the end of the season . This rolling billboard of goodwill is much like the entire GROWMARK FS energy business in the Mid-Atlantic ; delivering service and focused on the future .