one of the nation's largest propane retailers, announced today the acquisition of Vanson LLC, which serves approximately 29,000 customers in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Vanson, based in St. Joseph, Mich., operates out of 14 offices with 79 employees.

"Vanson represents our most significant retail propane acquisition since 2002, strengthening our existing geographic markets and providing immediate accretion to earnings," explained Chief Executive Officer Steve Wambold. "Importantly, this purchase reflects our disciplined strategy of growing through acquisitions as well as organically."

Ryan VanWinkle, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, commented, "We continue to see accretive acquisition opportunities and remain focused on selectively acquiring quality operations such as Vanson, which supplements our commitment to organic customer growth." He also pointed out, "The recent private placement of $300 million of Senior Notes due 2017 and refinancing of a $400 million working capital credit due 2012 provide ample flexibility to continue executing our business strategies."

Wambold added, "The ownership, management and employee complement of Vanson has been a pleasure to work with and we are excited to welcome them to the Ferrellgas team servicing our now expanded customer base."