Michael Rogers, Communications Officer for the Small Business Association of Michigan, talks with Tom Fehsenfeld, chairman of the board of Crystal Flash, one of the largest privately held energy distributors in Michigan.
Tom’s grandfather, John E. Fehsenfeld, founded Crystal Flash in Indianapolis in 1932 with one truck and a rented fuel storage facility. His son, Frank, moved operations to Grand Rapids soon afterwards. The business moved from gas stations to the home heating business in the 1940s.
Crystal Flash entered the propane business in the 1980s and expanded into commercial fleet fueling. The company exited the gasoline retail business in 2002 and focused on energy distribution; it subsequently purchased eight fuel companies as part of a planned growth strategy. Crystal Flash now focuses on the delivery of propane, diesel and other fuels to power home, fleet, farm or business. In April 2016, Crystal Flash established an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and announced that its 250 employees will become beneficial owners of the company.
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