LIBERTY, Mo., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. (NYSE: FGP), one of the nation's largest and fastest growing retail marketers of propane, announced today that it has named Daryl McClendon as Director of Propane Acquisitions.

A past president of the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) as well as a founding member and former chairman of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), McClendon will aid Ferrellgas' efforts to acquire local, regional and national retail propane companies. The company has been a leading consolidator in the industry since it became a publicly traded master limited partnership in 1994. Most recently, on February 9, 2004, Ferrellgas announced it had entered into a merger agreement to acquire all of the outstanding stock of propane cylinder exchange giant Blue Rhino Corporation (Nasdaq: RINO) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $340 million.

During his 36-year career in the retail propane industry, McClendon has held senior executive positions with multi-state propane marketers Pargas, Suburban Propane/Petrolane and Skelgas/Superior Propane of Canada. From January 1997 to November 2002, McClendon was an investor and CEO of Platinum Propane LLC, a cylinder exchange distributor for Blue Rhino Corp. At the time of sale to Blue Rhino, Platinum Propane was Blue Rhino's largest distributor. Until now, McClendon had continued his association with Blue Rhino, serving as an advisor to their management team. He remains an active industry volunteer, currently serving as chairman of PERC's Consumer Education Advisory Committee, a member of the NPGA Board of Directors and a member of the NPGA's International, Government Affairs and Distinguished Service Award committees.

"Ferrellgas has known and worked closely alongside Daryl McClendon for many years," said Ken Heinz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development. "He is simply one of the most capable and well-respected leaders in our industry. At Ferrellgas, we remain aggressively focused on strategically growing our business through acquisitions, and Daryl McClendon will help us achieve our growth objectives."

Ferrellgas Partners, L.P., through its operating partnership, Ferrellgas, L.P., currently serves more than one million customers in 45 states. Ferrellgas employees indirectly own more than 17 million common units of the Partnership through an employee stock ownership plan.

SOURCE Ferrellgas Partners, L.P.