| History…
…Over a Half Century of Service in Rhode Island and SE Mass
In the early 50’s in a small white cottage on Common Fence Point, Portsmouth RI, Philip C. Viveiros decided to start a bottled gas business when the fuel was not yet very popular. He had a vision. He bought a few small bottles, a pickup truck and began a three generation family tradition that is known today as Phil’s Propane Co.
Propane became more and more in demand for cooking, hot water heaters and space heaters. More bottles were purchased along with another pickup truck, and in a short time two more men were hired to do installations, service and deliveries. An office was then established on Brayton Ave. in Fall River, MA.
In the late 50’s, Mr. Viveiros bought a large parcel of land on Crandall Rd. in Tiverton, RI where he would build the areas first LP Gas plant and storage facility with a capacity of 18,000 gallons. Buying in bulk opened up the opportunity to purchase the company’s first bulk truck, a twin tank 1600 gallon Chevrolet, complete with pump and delivery hose for filling not only the small bottles but also the larger customer storage tanks used for heating and commercial accounts such as restaurants.
Due to the sudden and unfortunate passing of Mr. Viveiros in the 60’s, the second generation stepped in. His son, Louis C. Viveiros, left the operation of a gasoline and automobile service business in Fall River, also a family concern, to take the helm of the gas company with help from his son Phil who at the time was pursuing an engineering degree from Roger Williams College in Bristol RI ( now known as Roger Williams University).
Continued growth, expansion and more efficient operating methods with the use of computers and automatic “keep full” service was the renewed vision from Phil after college when he became full time with the company. Before his retirement in 1985, Louis Viveiros had two bulk trucks, two service and installation trucks, a new computer system for customer records, billing and tracking customer propane deliveries. Sales were not only to about 2000 retail accounts but also wholesale to other gas companies.
The past 20 years brought even more expansion and innovative ideas into being. Today Phil’s Propane Co. maintains a storage capacity of 60,000 gallons, an expanded parts department, 24 hour emergency service, a new tank storage and maintenance facility, five bulk delivery trucks, three installation trucks, two service / install vehicles and two maintenance vehicles as well as two supervisors and sales vehicles. A three person customer service office staff maintains customer records as well as handles customer questions and concerns. Phil’s now services over 5000 residential, commercial and industrial accounts covering all of Newport and Bristol Counties and other areas as expansion continues.
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