Case Studies: Jack F. Corse Inc.
Pat Mayo
Jack F. Corse Inc.
Cambridge, Vermont
Pat Mayo (Vice President of Jack F. Corse Company) first heard about biodiesel at a Vermont Fuel Dealers Meeting in 2002. Jack F. Corse Company (founded in 1947) took its first delivery of B20 in the spring of 2005, and began using it in its delivery trucks and off-road equipment. The fleet goes through 600 to 700 gallons in a week, and supply has been basically reliable. Initially, B100 was picked up from John Rhymes, Co. in New Hampshire, and brought back to blend and store in a 20,000-gallon tank. Heating fuel is stored in an 18,000-gallon tank on the premises and comes from Montreal. There's a good possibility that the Montreal facility may soon offer a pre-blended product using biodiesel and No.2 oil (aka "bioheat").
From the immediate cleansing effect in equipment, to pronounced improvement in emissions' odor, Pat's first impressions have all been positive. Another plus is that the company is able to offer B20 at a price close to that of petrodiesel.
Pat has represented his company at a number of biodiesel-related events, and has generated some positive local publicity, including a newspaper article about the use of biodiesel at Smugglers' Notch (their first biodiesel customer). The ski resort plans to expand their use of B20 this winter using Jack Corse Co. as its supplier. Customers are congratulating the company for making this move to biofuels and are asking a lot of questions, especially about the use of biodiesel in heating applications. Another commonly asked question relates to concerns people have about cold weather gelling. Pat comments that the many customers have already familiarized themselves with the product, and are aware that filters must be changed after initial runs of biodiesel in any equipment.
Pat is excited about offering an environmentally cleaner product that stands to reduce US reliance on foreign sources of oil, and is very keen on continuing to promote the fuel's benefits. In a very short period of time the company has integrated biodiesel into its business with great success.