Company Background
Humble Beginnings
Driven by a passion for unparalleled customer service, Tim Harrington built Able Energy from a single oil truck in 1990, to one of the dominant fuel oil and liquid fuels companies in Northern New Jersey. Today, Able Energy is one of the few publicly traded companies in its industry.
The entrepreneurial bug first bit Tim after high school, when rather than pursuing college studies, he founded his first business - Harrington Paving &Contracting, specializing in residential sewer hook-ups. In 3 short years, Tim was able to hone his business skills. During this period, according to Tim, "I learned general business practices, how to handle money, payables, receivables, and a lot more than if I went to college."
When the economy declined and real estate collapsed in 1989, Tim took $2,000, bought a used oil truck, and launched what was to become Able Energy. With the same high energy that he exhibits today, Tim handled all aspects of the business ... from taking customer orders, delivering the orders, and in between deliveries, aggressively marketing his new business by hanging flyers on neighborhood doors.
His peers have twice recognized Tim's entrepreneurial spirit as an Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in both 2000 and 2001. In addition, in 2002 New Jersey Business News recognized Tim as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" business leaders in the state.
On The Leading Edge
Since its inception in 1989, Able Energy has grown by doing things a bit differently than its competitors. As Tim describes, "I didn't get into this business because I loved the oil business, but because I saw huge opportunities to improve this Industry."
Able's marketing strategy has been consistent for the last decade, Full Service at Discount Prices, which continues to be a departure from industry norms. In an industry characterized by full service companies that charge high prices, and discount operators that provide little service, Able has been willing to break the mold. Able Energy customers continue to respond with enthusiasm.
Built upon a tradition of high quality customer service, Able Energy has taken an aggressive posture toward superior customer service, including 7 day a week deliveries, and a service department that is available 24 hours a day.
Doing It Better, Faster, Cheaper
To continue to fuel growth and to take advantage of the many opportunities in the liquid fuels industry, Able has engaged in an aggressive program to improve operating processes through the use of leading edge technologies. With a larger, more complicated company to manage, smart use of technology will be the fuel behind Able's continued growth and margin enhancement.
Able has introduced automated wireless dispatch technology, which uses a wireless communications network, to remotely dispatch service orders to its fleet of vehicles. The advantages of this state-of-the art technology are many ... more efficient centralized dispatch, faster service response, improved productivity of service technicians, more accurate and efficient record keeping, and best of all, improved customer service. Cost savings in dispatch operations alone is expected to be about 50%.
Online and Beyond
In 2000 Able made a bold multi-million dollar investment in proprietary end-to-end technology to streamline the traditional order and fulfillment processes used by the industry. In October 2000, PriceEnergy.com was launched, introducing a new way for consumers to order their fuel via the Internet, which has reduced consumer fuel oil bills by as much as 20%. PriceEnergy uses a network of local heating oil dealers from Virginia to Maine to make the deliveries.
Using technology, Able Energy is pushing the envelope to find ways to run their business better, faster and cheaper.