Powered by passion
Credit to Author: Louise Nichole Logarta| Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2019 16:15:40 +0000
I’m a perfectionist. I need to accomplish all the tasks I’ve set out for myself. Most might be trivial items that just need to get done, but I can’t end my day without everything in place.”
Since the discovery of electricity, energy has been an integral component of people’s lives, harnessed as thermal, chemical, electrical, sound and even nuclear power. It lights up homes and businesses.
Enterprising couple Nelson and Siu Ping Par have made energy their business, making a name in the field of energy with PR Gaz, a pioneer in the LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) retail industry in the country. They sold PR Gaz to a fellow LPG player, but retained one product that was originally the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative: Gaz Lite. Seeing potential in the endeavor, the couple set up Pascal Resources Energy Inc. (PREI) to explore commercial possibilities.
Matthew Par, the eldest of the Pars’ children, is PREI’s assistant vice president for brand and marketing. And as is the norm in business-oriented Chinese-Filipino families, the first male is expected to participate and eventually take over the firm. “I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. “All I heard growing up was about the business,” recalls Matthew. “I started helping out as early as fifth grade, but I never thought I’d join the company as early as I did.”
Because duty called, this unassuming 27-year-old was well-prepared to help run the company, having majored in business administration at the University of the Philippines.
While at PR Gaz, he began in market development for its new product and has, in the past five years, been involved in the Gaz Lite business operations, specifically branding, marketing and business development.
With its product, the company has positioned itself as a social enterprise, aiming to alleviate the issue of energy poverty in the country, with regard to clean cooking. “Sixty percent of Filipino families still cook with solid fuels,” Matthew explains. “They use wood and charcoal. This causes harmful effects on the individual and the community as well.”
The barriers to using cleaner cooking systems are clear. The population, belonging to classes C and D — the marginalized sector — finds the price of a standard LPG tank too steep, since most of them are daily wage earners. There is also the issue of the initial investment needed to acquire a traditional LPG cooking system. Yet another barrier to adopting cleaner cooking practices is the cost of distribution and transport of tanks to rural areas, which add significantly to the retail price of LPG. It is no mystery why many households still choose to use solid fuels for cooking. Although there has been a shift to the usage of refillable butane cartridges, this practice is illegal.
PREI, on the other hand, provides a much more affordable and cleaner alternative: Gaz Lite, a unique and innovative LPG canister that comes with a single burner table top cook stove. The compact size of the canister offers not only ease of use and safety, but also more importantly, affordability. Its smaller size also allows these households to buy LPG as needed.
As Gaz Lite started out as a CSR project, Matthew and the PREI team did not have access to a large budget as is usually expected of typical consumer products. “We were very conservative with our marketing and branding efforts from the onset,” he says. “The first thing we did was to gather data and research our market thoroughly. We first started with a team of four sales agents who went door-to-door, house-to-house, to introduce and explain our new product.
“From this initial activity, we were able to slowly gather information and insights about our target market that helped craft our strategies moving forward. We asked things like which features of the product were most appealing: price position versus other alternatives, and how to bundle the product and cooking behavior of different households.”
A point of pride with their product is its novelty. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines awarded PREI with a Utility Model — similar to a patent but with a shorter term — for its unique function. “The canister is like the oxygen tank that scuba divers use, but the use is totally different,” this enthusiastic executive declares. “Gaz Lite is the first of its kind, not just in the country, but in the world.” His statement is backed up by a Search Art Report done by Bengzon, Negre, Untalan, a top intellectual property firm in the country.
However, developing Gaz Lite was not without its challenges. Many assume that LPG is a costlier fuel due to the upfront cost, but Matthew and his team argue otherwise. Wood and charcoal users spend around P30 daily compared to the P65 that they would spend per canister, which would last three to five days. “When we go to rural communities and present our product, we really have to explain that this is more affordable in the long run,” says Matthew.
When dealing with work, Matthew ensures that whatever goal he sets for the day is accomplished. “I’m a perfectionist, sometimes to a fault,” he admits. “I need to accomplish all the tasks I’ve set out for myself, no matter how big or small. Most might be trivial items that just need to get done, but I can’t end my day without everything in place.”
Obviously, Gaz Lite is a product close to the hearts of Matthew’s parents, and it is the same with him. “This product is very personal to me because it’s given me the perfect opportunity to satisfy multiple goals,” he muses. “I am able to fulfill my responsibilities as the next generation in a family of entrepreneurs, and at the same time, create meaningful impact for the people we are serving through our product.”
Matthew, as hard as he works, also values downtime on weekends and whenever he can get it. “On Sundays, it’s non-negotiable that I visit and spend time with my grandmother,” he reports. This amiable yuppie has also recently discovered wall-climbing, which he sometimes does after a day at work. The perfectionist in him will surely make him a pro in no time.
Expressing the ideals of a true millennial, Matthew hopes that they will be able to effect change not just in the country, but abroad as well: “It would be amazing if a local product such as this is the answer to a problem that affects three and a half billion people around the world.”
About me
ROLE MODELS
My parents. They really instilled in me the value of hard work.
Long-term GOALS
I want Gaz Lite to become a solution to indoor air pollution and cooking energy poverty. I’d like to try teaching in some capacity in the future.
FIRST PAYING JOB
I was a waiter at Teriyaki Boy when I was much younger.
MORNING ROUTINE
I don’t really have one, but I’m working on developing one.
SPECIAL SKILLS
Quick memory recall
TIME SPENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
I don’t have a Facebook account, so, I don’t spend much time on social media at all outside of work. At the office, I usually spend five to 10 minutes to go through the Gaz Lite Facebook page to monitor how are posts are doing and read through user comments.