Our History

Our company was started in 1957 by Milton Dunn as a cylinder delivery company focusing on 100# cylinders. When Milton's step-son Walter Dahlquist SR (Joe) returned from the military in 1960 he started helping with the business and began the service department. In 1968 Joe purchased the family business from Milton under the name Skelgas. The office was run out of the basement of their home for many years.

After a couple years Joe and his family decided to change the name of the business to Dahlquist Propane. This was the beginning of a family oriented business. Joe has 4 children who helped out with the business through the years. His oldest, Wally, eventually gravitated toward the Heating and Cooling side of the company specializing in the service and installation fields. Steve and Joe stuck more to the gas side of the business and eventually started Dahlquist Trucking by hauling propane for themselves and other gas companies to help save money. This contributed to the companies growth through the years.

In 1987, Joe knew something had to change, the business was getting too large for his home and he began the construction of the current office next to his home. This building would be big enough to handle the whole business with room to grow. That did not last long either. By 1990, we added on again. The addition was to handle the appliance business that we had picked up and to make some more offices.

With Wally focusing on the Heating & Cooling field, he began to attend classes offered by various schools and associations. He received many licenses and certificates through the years like: Master Plumbers, Tradesman Electrical, Refrigerant Handling and many more.

Wally married and started a family of his own in 1981. Wally and Mary have 3 children who all work for the businesses.

Michelle started working for the company full time in 2001. She is in the office, she handles the day to day company operations as well as the showroom. She enjoys the hearth industry best, her knowledge of the fireplaces we carry is something we couldn't replace. Growing up in the business, her overall knowledge is a great benefit to all of our customers. Michelle has a family and if you stop in, you can find her boys or her pug "Zoe" helping at the shop.

Joe started with the company after graduating high school in 2002. He has chose to focus on the installation aspect of the business. He is a factory trained Carrier, Heat N Glo and Quadra Fire Installer. Joe has gained a wealth of knowledge of the systems we sell and helps Wally with estimating when needed also. Joe is also very knowledgeable when it comes to our full sheet metal shop, his creativity has helped customers plan their visions. Joe's family can be found in most of the ads we run. Joe plans to carry the business onto the 5th generation.

They all enjoy working for the family owned business and hope to continue for years to come.

In early 2008, Wally moved his Heating & Cooling to a new location, the old "Early Bird Restaurant." He added a complete line of Pellet Stoves, Wood stoves and Pellet Sales. In 2010 we needed to expand our showroom to meet the demand of the fireplace sales. We went from 5 units to 12. In 2013, we needed to double our fireplace space. We added 14 new display units and added an office for Wally, a breakroom and made a nice space for Michelle. We are constantly changing our display models and making sure we are keeping up with the demands of our customers.

Our office is open Monday - Friday 8am-4:30pm. Our service department can be reached 24/7 by calling 715-361-2798.

Stop in to say HI and check out the showroom. Wally always has a fresh batch of popcorn waiting!

Please read the Staff Page to learn more about all of our employees!!