High Profile: Chris Brody, Founder and President of Propane Depot

“It was called CB Sales, I would go door to door in my neighborhood selling greeting cards around the holidays, shovel snow for my neighbors, and anything I could do to make money,” Brody says. “I think I always knew I didn’t want to work for other people. I didn’t see the point of working for someone else. What people don’t understand about owning your own business or being an entrepreneur is what it took to make it successful.”

Brody says that most people seem to think you have all this success and free time to do what you want, but that is not true about being a small business owner.  He says there are long work hours, seven-day-a-week schedules and doing whatever it takes to survive.

“For many years I was looking for another business to start, and the propane industry kept intriguing me as I felt there was a lot lacking with the current providers” says Brody, who also owns a home automation company that he started over 20 years ago. It is run by his brother Michael, who is a partner in both companies and worked with him for years. Michael took over the running of this company while Brody founded and developed Propane Depot.

Brody started Propane Depot in 2020, and prides himself on his customer service.

“There were a lot of companies that weren’t focused on customer service and notorious for price gouging just because their customers don’t watch their bills, especially the large companies,” Brody explains of his examination of the industry. “We do everything we can to provide the absolute best customer service. We’re local, family owned, honest about our pricing and technology is a huge part of our success, much of which is custom programmed by me.”

He added that many of the independent companies have been bought out by large companies but retain the name to give the illusion of still being a local business.

Propane Depot provides deliveries to both residential and commercial customers. They also install tanks and lines. Brody explained why he thought propane would be a good fit for him and the East End.

“Some residents already have tanks and lines,” Brody said. “We do a lot of new tank installs for new construction and also those who are switching over to propane, and, of course, provide twenty-four-seven service. Deliveries are our main business, but we do it all.”

Brody said that there are many benefits of using propane versus oil, electricity and natural gas.

“Propane is cleaner than oil and better for the environment,” said, Brody, who is married to his wife Brittany and they have a 9-month-old daughter Sloane. “It offers a stronger heat than electricity and the output is better, and propane is less expensive. It is similar to natural gas, but most people go with propane if they don’t already have the natural gas lines in their neighborhood.”

Brody explained that the research he puts into deciding what new business to start has a lot to do with the eventual success of the business. In addition, he says that knowing that being an entrepreneur means hard work and long hours to get a business off the ground is another pillar to success  And in the case of Propane Depot, a very large financial investment as it is a very capital-intensive business. Knowing the business you’re going into is vital to eventual success.

“There is so much that you learn as you go,” Brody explains. “You have to be comfortable taking a risk and knowing you could fail and even lose everything. You can’t be afraid to fail. You also have to have belief in yourself, cause not every day is going to go great. Another thing people don’t think about, when you work for someone else, you don’t really bring your work home with you. When you own the business, you’re constantly thinking about it.

“You’re always thinking about work,” Brody explains. “You’re constantly having ideas. You’re also constantly thinking about what could go wrong.  That never turns off. You’re thinking about your employees, taxes, insurance and a lot more. You also have to learn to be a boss. You have be encouraging and supportive because your employees look to you for motivation. My employees look to me for advice. They’re learning from me.”

Brody recognizes that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. In fact, while his daughter is only 9 months old, Brody says he wouldn’t push her into following in his footsteps.

“If she wanted to, I’d encourage her,” Brody says, “but not everyone has the entrepreneurial gene.”

Does he have advice for others who think they have the entrepreneur’s gene? Yes, a little.

“You have to learn to be a boss, it doesn’t just come naturally,” Brody says. “You have to accept that for many years you may not have any profits and most startups fail.  Are you OK with that? You have no idea how much work you’ll have to do. But, if you put in the work, it will pay off. We have long-time customers who come to us and tell us how much they love us. It is great to hear that.”

Propane Depot is currently moving to their new location at 159 Montauk Hwy. in Hampton Bays. For more information, call 631-400-SAVE or visit propanedepot.com.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.