Press Releases

KENT, CONNECTICUT August 5, 2020 –  Joshua Wolf of Cetane Associates will present “Valuing a Home Comfort Business”, a session in Eastern Energy Expo’s On-Demand webinar series, on Thursday, August 6 at 10 AM. Mr. Wolf will introduce attendees to numerous business valuation concepts and illustrate these concepts by valuing a fictional home comfort business. The presentation will highlight some of the challenges of performing a valuation and identify situations where a formal valuation report is advisable.

Visit here to register.

About Joshua Wolf

Joshua Wolf, who joined Cetane in 2013, has participated in the completion of more than 40 successful sale transactions and numerous valuation assignments. Prior to joining Cetane Associates in 2013,  Mr. Wolf performed a variety of marketing and analytical roles in the energy groups of Mizuho Corporate Bank (USA), ABN AMRO Bank N.V., and Crédit Lyonnais. Mr. Wolf holds a Bachelor of Business from Emory University and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

About Cetane Associates

Cetane Associates LLC is a leading provider of financial advisory services to owners of businesses in the retail energy industry. Clients engage Cetane to advise on business sales and purchases and to perform valuation and ad hoc corporate finance assignments.


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We were very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and experienced company in our corner with the team at Cetane. It was obvious that they knew the best process and how to get the ball over the goal line. Their advice throughout the process was greatly appreciated and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

— Steve Lombardi, Brodeur’s Oil, Moosup, CT
Press Releases

KENT, CONNECTICUT May 21, 2020 – Cetane Associates LLC is pleased to announce that Gault Family Companies in Westport, Connecticut, has acquired the full-service energy business of Quinoco Energy Services in Bristol, Connecticut.

Quinoco, founded in the late-1800s, is a marketer of propane, heating oil, and HVAC services, operating 32 vehicles from three operating locations in the western half of Connecticut.

Gault is a sixth-generation family business founded in 1863, when Lincoln was president. Gault is the oldest family-owned and operated energy company within Fairfield County, Connecticut. Gault Energy is a full-service provider of propane, Bioheat® heating oil and, HVAC services, standby generators, and smart home technology.

Don Phillips, owner and President of Quinoco, commented that “Sue and I couldn’t be happier with our decision. Gault was the best choice for our employees and our customers and that made them the best choice for us. The Gault family has a reputation for excellence in all its pursuits and for developing very positive client and employee relationships. Using Cetane Associates for our sale process exceeded all our expectations. They were there every step of the way right from their initial valuation assessment. Their advice and guidance throughout the process was invaluable. I found the Cetane team to be extremely professional, detail-oriented, with a lot of transaction insight.”

Sam Gault, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gault, remarked that “Quinoco’s customer-centric approach to service and delivery as well as their commitment to employee engagement very much mirrors our own and is why we had an interest in pursuing this opportunity. Don and Sue Phillips have assembled a terrific platform for us to expand Gault’s operating footprint. We intend to continue operating the business as it has been running under the Quinoco brand with the same employees from the same locations. We had a great experience working with Cetane Associates, again, as they know the industry and they presented the information in the formats we needed to properly evaluate the company. It was great to have a knowledgeable intermediary working with the sellers to help them through the process.”

Cetane Associates LLC served as the sole arranger and financial advisor to Quinoco, Inc. Cetane advised on the sale, including an initial valuation opinion, marketing the business through a confidential, formal process, negotiation of the final deal terms, and coordination of the due diligence process. The transaction was managed by team members Steve Abbate, Joshua Wolf, and Fred Lord.

About Cetane Associates

Cetane Associates LLC is a leading provider of financial advisory services to owners of businesses in the retail energy distribution industry. Clients engage Cetane to advise on sales, spin-offs, and acquisitions, as well as perform valuation and ad hoc corporate finance assignments.


Current Business Listings

View All

Completed Transactions

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We were very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and experienced company in our corner with the team at Cetane. It was obvious that they knew the best process and how to get the ball over the goal line. Their advice throughout the process was greatly appreciated and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

— Steve Lombardi, Brodeur’s Oil, Moosup, CT
Press Releases

Cetane Associates LLC announced today that Jeff Brunner has joined its team of financial advisory professionals as a Director and will support the activities of the firm’s origination and deal execution teams. Jeff brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the delivery of propane, distillates and HVAC services. He most recently served as a regional vice president for Energy Distribution Partners and has held vice president and director level positions at Inergy Propane, Petro-Star Gas, and HOP Energy.

Steve Abbate, owner of Cetane, commented that “Both Fred Lord and I have had the pleasure of working with Jeff as colleagues in the past.  He brings to our firm deep industry experience coupled with a very friendly, approachable personality. Since Jeff has been involved in the successful integration of over 70 acquisitions over the course of his career, I know he will contribute much to helping our clients navigate the complexities of selling their businesses.”

About Cetane Associates

Cetane Associates LLC is a leading provider of financial advisory services to owners of businesses in the retail energy distribution industry. Clients engage Cetane to advise on sales, spin-offs, and acquisitions, as well as perform valuation and ad hoc corporate finance assignments. For more information, please visit www.cetane.net.


Current Business Listings

View All

Completed Transactions

View All

We were very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and experienced company in our corner with the team at Cetane. It was obvious that they knew the best process and how to get the ball over the goal line. Their advice throughout the process was greatly appreciated and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

— Steve Lombardi, Brodeur’s Oil, Moosup, CT
Press Releases

KENT, CONNECTICUT March 10, 2020 – Cetane Associates LLC is pleased to announce that Sail Energy, LLC in Pourtsmouth, New Hampshire, has acquired the full-service energy business of Hometowne Energy Co., Inc. in Brockport, New York.

With an operational footprint spanning eighteen counties in western New York, Hometowne Energy sells and delivers bulk propane, heating oil, diesel, and gasoline to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers from five facility locations (Brockport, Rochester, Penn Yan, Farmington, and Newark). Hometowne Energy also maintains an extensive service department that installs and maintains heating and cooling equipment, hot water heaters, fuel oil tanks, and indoor air quality devices.


Sail Energy is a private equity backed company formed in 2014 to pursue growth through both organic and acquisition channels in the energy distribution market. With a veteran management team that has completed over 100 acquisitions, Sail Energy currently serves over 25,000 customers across four New England states under the brands of Pioneer Oil and Propane, Murray Heutz Oil and Propane, Vaughn Oil and now Hometowne Energy.
Chriss Andrews, President of Hometowne Energy, stated that “We are very pleased that Sail Energy chose to become the new owner of Hometowne Energy. They have a reputation for maintaining brand integrity and workplace culture when they make an acquisition. This was important to us since we really wanted to assure stability for both our customers and employees.”


Dennis O’Brien, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sail Energy, commented, “We welcome Hometowne Energy into our family of companies as it extends our operating footprint for the first time outside of New England. The Hometowne Energy team has built a wonderful platform from which we plan to pursue further acquisitions in the region as well as within our New England footprint.” He went on to say, “Even though our due diligence process is exhaustive, my team really enjoyed working with Chriss and the folks at Cetane Associates to complete this acquisition. We look forward to a smooth transition for both customers and employees.”


Cetane Associates, LLC served as the sole arranger and financial advisor to Hometowne Energy. Cetane advised on the sale, including an initial valuation opinion, marketing the business through a confidential, formal process, negotiation of the final deal terms, and coordination of the due diligence process. The transaction was managed by team members Steve Abbate, Joshua Wolf, and Fred Lord.

About Cetane Associates

Cetane Associates, LLC is a leading provider of financial advisory services to owners of businesses in the retail energy distribution industry. Clients engage Cetane to advise on sales, spin-offs, and acquisitions, as well as perform valuation and ad hoc corporate finance assignments. For more information, please visit www.cetane.net.

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Media Contacts:

Steve Abbate, +1 860-592-0089

sabbate@cetane.net


Current Business Listings

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Completed Transactions

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We were very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and experienced company in our corner with the team at Cetane. It was obvious that they knew the best process and how to get the ball over the goal line. Their advice throughout the process was greatly appreciated and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

— Steve Lombardi, Brodeur’s Oil, Moosup, CT
Press Releases

Cetane Associates LLC announced today that Barrett Conway has joined its team of financial advisory professionals as an Analyst. Barrett will provide analytical support to the firm’s deal execution team. Prior to joining Cetane, Barrett worked five years as an associate in the wealth management area of Salient Partners in Houston. Barrett holds a BBA degree from Texas A&M University in College Station.

Steve Abbate, owner of Cetane, commented that “Barrett’s joining the firm provides our deal execution team with additional capacity to process our growing deal pipeline. He will work together with Joshua Wolf and Fred Lord to help deliver the quality deal process that buyers and sellers have come to expect from us.”

About Cetane Associates:

Cetane Associates, LLC is a leading provider of financial advisory services to owners of businesses in the retail energy distribution industry. Clients engage Cetane to advise on sales, spin-offs, and acquisitions, as well as perform valuation and ad hoc corporate finance assignments. For more information, please visit www.cetane.net.


Current Business Listings

View All

Completed Transactions

View All

We were very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and experienced company in our corner with the team at Cetane. It was obvious that they knew the best process and how to get the ball over the goal line. Their advice throughout the process was greatly appreciated and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

— Steve Lombardi, Brodeur’s Oil, Moosup, CT