John Sherman struck entrepreneurial success twice in the energy business, growing two major companies in a 10-year span. Sherman joined Ferrellgas in 1984 and learned the propane industry after studying to be a teacher and a brief career in telecommunications. He left the organization in 1991 to co-found LPG Services Group and, after growing LPG into one of the country’s largest propane wholesalers, sold it to Dynegy.
In 1996, Sherman started his second venture, Inergy, L.P. His second entrepreneurial venture was even more successful. Through a series of acquisitions and organic growth, Inergy grew to be among the largest independent natural gas storage operators in the United States and a significant developer and operator of energy infrastructure.
As an entrepreneur, Sherman has always believed that one must have a sense of urgency. During the summer of 2001, Inergy was preparing for its IPO. The IPO was a great success, and Inergy began trading on the NASDAQ on July 26, 2001. Just six weeks later, on September 11th, terrorists knocked down the World Trade Center towers in New York. In addition to the horrific human tragedy, global financial markets were totally disrupted.
No one can predict a major geopolitical event. And the only thing that’s predictable about the market is that it’s unpredictable. Sherman has always been thankful that the company did not hesitate. To this day, urgency impacts how he evaluates opportunity.