Lighting Brand: Blue Rhino

Blue Rhino started with Billy Prim, a man from a small town in North Carolina who he thought big. An entrepreneur at heart, Billy wanted to take his convenience store business to the next level. He found what he was looking for on a trip to Paris: a propane cylinder exchange display at a gas station. Billy thought cylinder exchange might work in the United States. It didn't take him long to convince a couple hundred stores in North Carolina to try it, and sales were good. So he decided to start a national tank exchange company that would capitalize on gas grill sales, which were starting to grow dramatically.

Still thinking big, Billy also decided he wanted to build a brand, not just some no-name commodity. According to the book Rhino Tough, inspiration struck when Billy zoomed his camera in on a rhino. "'It's a natural!", he told his wife. "He's tough, sturdy, and looks like a tank. And the propane flame", he said, "would make a perfect rhino horn." Adding the color blue -- the color of a propane flame -- brought it all together.

With that, Blue Rhino® came to life. A national distribution network was constructed, retailer partnerships were established, and a new brand was born. Today, Billy Prim's vision is a reality. Blue Rhino is America's #1 propane tank exchange brand. But it doesn't stop there. Blue Rhino is also a leading designer and marketer of barbecue grills, outdoor heaters, outdoor fireplaces, fire sets, fireplace screens, mosquito traps, and other outdoor appliances. In fact, you will find a Blue Rhino product in the middle of half a billion barbecue events nationwide every year!

Blue Rhino has even pioneered a new category, CO2 tank exchange. It's called Rhino Power. Blue Rhino is now a part of Ferrellgas,® a propane industry distributor for more than 1 million residential, agricultrual, industrial, and commercial customers. Yet Blue Rhino hasn't forgotten its roots. They still love those rhinos. Blue Rhino is a sponsor of the American Association of Zookeepers' Bowling for Rhinos, an annual bowl-a-thon that raises money for rhino conservation. And they are even making a difference for the environment.

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Source: Blue Rhino