The Canadian Propane Association awarded Grant Sparling the 2015 CPA Lifetime Achievement Award June 4.
It recognized the significant contributions a person has made to the Canadian Propane Association. The award also recognized Sparling's integrity, honesty and respect.
Grant's son, Steven Sparling, accepted the award last week during the Canadian Propane Association's Ontario Seminar in King City. Grant Sparling passed away on May 13 at the age of 91.
He founded Sparling's Propane in 1951 in Blyth, which grew to one of the largest propane retailers in Canada when it was bought by Parkland Fuel Corporation of Calgary in 2013. Sparling’s employees are active in the community, in service clubs and organizations, agencies, sports and churches, and through financial support provided by the Sparling's Employee Fund.
Throughout the years, Grant's genuine commitment to fair pricing and customer service always helped him stand out. Grant was active in the United Church and the Blyth Board of Trade, the Lion’s Club, and was a life member of Forest Lodge No. 263. He served 32-years as firefighter/captain with the Blyth and District Fire Department and was a proud supporter of the Blyth Festival.
Grant received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the first Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Ontario Propane Association.
In 1977, Grant circulated a service memo to all employees:
“It's about service. Not propane. It's about a friendly, cooperative voice on the phone. It's a knowledgeable service man, who shows up on time and takes his boots off at the door. It's a Clean shave, a Clean uniform, and a Clean truck. It's a fair price. It's a smile at the door. It's saying, 'thank you', to our Customers - for being our Customers. That's what we sell around here.”