US: Sharp Propane facilitates Central Texas greenhouse with tailored technology and care

Eighteen thousand gallons is a lot of propane. For Kyle-based greenhouse and nursery space Plant Odyssey, keeping such a large propane tank at a comfortable level is critical for maintaining delivery schedules and thriving plants to hundreds of nurseries, garden centers, landscapers and supermarkets across Texas. To accommodate these deadlines and delivery commitments, Sharp Propane created an enhanced tank monitoring and propane delivery system for Plant Odyssey to ensure their 18,000 gallon tank stays full, no matter how often the tank gets depleted, or what time of day propane deliveries are required.

By design, greenhouses are poorly heated structures because the plastic or glass covering the greenhouse that allows sunlight and heat to enter the structure during the day also allows heat to escape at night, especially in the winter months. In an effort to maintain a consistent temperature, Plant Odyssey uses propane to heat the company’s 350,000 square foot of greenhouse facility. As a result, Plant Odyssey has greater control over plant growing environments and can provide seasonal plants and flowers (such as poinsettias) to garden centers and supermarkets, even in the colder fall and winter months. Heating is one of the major expenses and difficulties for greenhouse facilities, and propane offers a cost-effective way to provide heat for growing healthy plants year-round.

Plant Odyssey operates under tight deadlines for delivering all types of different flowering plants and vegetables to locations that range from Dallas-Fort Worth and Midland-Odessa, all the way down to San Antonio and Brownsville. As a result, it is important that all aspects of the growing process are streamlined and any risks to their production and delivery schedule are mitigated. Sharp Propane plays a key role in supporting production and delivery at Plant Odyssey; in fact Sharp Propane created a specially tailored propane monitoring system that manages tank levels, thus ensuring that Plant Odyssey always has enough propane to heat the facility’s hundreds of thousands of square feet of greenhouse space.

Using a remote satellite system, Sharp Propane monitors Plant Odyssey’s 18,000 gallon propane tank around the clock. This monitoring system alerts both Sharp Propane and Plant Odyssey’s owner, Kent Collum, every morning via text and email messages. These messages share the tank’s current levels, tells Sharp when there is a significant drop in tank levels, and lets Sharp Propane know when there is less than 30% propane in the tank so they can respond with a delivery to the Plant Odyssey facility.

"The monitor is more for us, so we always know where things stand at Plant Odyssey and we can make sure they have what they need to continue smooth operations," said Sharp Propane CEO Steve McKay. "The notifications Kent gets are just a value-add, to keep him aware and in the loop about where things stand. That way when a propane transport shows up during the middle of the night to fill the tank, he and his staff are not surprised."

Plant Odyssey’s monitoring system is just an example of one of the ways Sharp Propane keeps its customers in mind, and it demonstrates the company’s emphasis on providing more than just propane to their customers, but exceptional service that is tailored to the individual needs of each client and project.

In addition to the remote satellite monitor, Sharp Propane has helped Plant Odyssey install piping and propane heaters in the company’s most recent expansion of their facility. A few years ago, Plant Odyssey upped the square footage of available greenhouse space, and Sharp extended service lines to reach and service the new additions, and installed interior piping and connections to these newest greenhouses, one of which had approximately 80 propane-fueled heaters. With this installation, Sharp performed their Complimentary 7-Point Safety Check to make sure the regulators and all the parts were properly installed; and, on a continual basis, they are on call to fix and address any problems with the heaters or tanks.

"We’ve worked with other propane companies in the past," Plant Odyssey’s founder, Kent Collum said. "And there is much more personal service and respect at Sharp than you get from other places. They’re responsive, helpful and always there for anything we might need."

To learn more about Sharp Propane, please visit http://www.sharppropane.com