The new employer performance metric. As the old adage has it,“ what gets measured gets improved,” and the members of our coalition have long questioned the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’ s approach to measuring the workforce system’ s effectiveness in serving employers. We strongly support the new approach in H. R. 6655: holding local areas accountable for the percentage of workforce system participants enrolled in employer-driven upskilling programs, including on-thejob training and apprenticeship.
Using outcomes metrics to raise the bar for fundable training providers.
Members of our coalition who have tried to use the workforce system have often been disappointed by the quality of the training provided to participants with individual training accounts. We are encouraged by the provisions of H. R. 6655 that streamline state eligible-training-provider lists and impose tougher standards on providers, using verified employment outcomes to determine eligibility. We also appreciate the provision that allows employers to sponsor programs for the list and look forward to working with local workforce boards to improve the quality of available training. Taken together, we strongly believe that these provisions have the potential to make the public workforce system significantly more appealing and effective for employers.
RELIABLE ENERGY ACQUIRES ECONOMY PROPANE
Reliable Energy Partners, Tampa, Fla., a portfolio company of Soundcore Capital Partners, acquired Economy Propane, Baltimore, Md. The transaction closed on December 10, 2025, Cetane Associates announced.
Economy Propane was founded in 2009 by Doug McKnew and Bobby Perry who saw an opportunity to deliver stronger service and better value in a changing industry. The company grew and expanded with a new storage facility, a dedicated office building, and strategic marketing that attracted major commercial accounts as well as residential accounts. Co-owner Doug McKnew commented,“ Bobby and I are thrilled with how the sale of the business turned out. It’ s a great feeling knowing the company and our customers are in good hands.”
Reliable delivers energy solutions to a diverse customer base. The company is committed to building strategic partnerships with propane business owners and fostering growth through strong community and customer connections.“ Economy Propane has a well-deserved reputation for delivering best in class service safely and at an affordable price,” said Sean Daugherty, CEO of Reliable.“ Doug McKnew and Bobby Perry have built a special business, and their values align well with what we are building at Reliable. We are fortunate to add Economy and their employees to our family of businesses, and we look forward to working with Josh McKnew to uphold and expand on the legacy cultivated by owners Doug and Bobby.”
SPOTLIGHT: SUNTEC INDUSTRIES’ DACODA DAVIS
Dacoda Davis, Suntec Industries’ sales manager for North America, serves as the primary liaison to OEMs and distributors while driving pricing strategy, technical support, and
Dacoda Davis
new business development. Since 2023, Davis has strengthened industry relationships, contributed to Suntec’ s PLC-operated duplex pump system, and represented the company at key North American conferences and at Eurofuel’ s 2025 meeting. For more information about Suntec Industries, visit www. suntecpumps. com. l FON www. fueloilnews. com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JANUARY 2026 15