Northwest Fuel Systems Acquires ANC
Pilot Flying J To Acquire Western Petroleum
Sinclair Completes Wyoming Refinery Expansion
Walmart Closes Marketside Concept Stores
Fuel Tank Stolen From Superior Airport
EZ Lubes Sold, To Be Rebranded To VIOC

NORTHWEST FUEL SYSTEMS ACQUIRES ANC

KALISPELL, MT. — Petroleum equipment distributor Northwest Fuel Systems has acquired the assets of ANC Vehicle Wash Systems Inc., based in Portland, OR.

The price for the deal, which was closed in January, was not disclosed.

The new business will be known as ANC, a Northwest Fuel Systems Company. ANC will continue to operate out of its former headquarters location in Portland and will be retaining the staff and employees. John Rausbeck, the founder of ANC, will remain with the company as a partner for "a few years" to assist in the transition, to supervise the former ANC employees currently working in Oregon and Washington, and to help to further grow the business.

"Claudia and I still enjoy the business and we were not really looking to sell," said Rausbeck. "However, when Tim [Gibbar, managing partner of Northwest Fuel Systems] approached me with the succession plan idea and our companies joining forces it seemed to make sense." Rausbeck continued, "I am looking forward to seeing what advantages we can provide to employees and customers, old and new."

"It is an exciting time for us," stated Burl French, chairman of Northwest Fuel Systems, "and I am pleased we could offer a succession plan to John and Claudia while incorporating such a nice company into our business."

Joining Rausbeck in the ANC division will be Mike Webster, who will serve as branch operations manager. Webster had been working for Northwest Fuel Systems in Portland for the past several years; prior to that, he had been with Gilbarco for over a decade. In his new position, Webster will be responsible for supervision of the company's Service Tech employees in Bend and Salem, Oregon, as well as in the Seattle market.

"ANC will become a major factor for us in terms of inventory and service to our customers in the Pacific Northwest as well as our business units including Petroleum, Industrial, Electrical and Automotive, along with ANC's current great relationships in the car wash industry," predicted Gibbar.

With the acquisition of ANC, Northwest Fuel Systems now has warehouse locations in Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon as well as additional service and sales operations in Wyoming and the northern regions of Utah and Nevada.

PILOT FLYING J TO ACQUIRE WESTERN PETROLEUM

VERNAL, UT. — Pilot Flying J has announced that it will acquire Western Petroleum LLC., based here. The price for the purchase was not disclosed.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Western Petroleum will operate as a division of Pilot Flying J. The company will maintain the same leadership with Perry Taylor continuing as as president & CEO, Samuel Taylor as chief sales and marketing officer, and Janis Kline as chief financial officer. In addition, the company said it plans to maintain its current employee roster and hopes to grow in the near future.

Western Petroleum will also maintain its current brand imaging and logos following the sale and will continue to market the Chevron, Sinclair, and Conoco product lines.

"The acquisition of Western Petroleum's operations and employing Western Petroleum's talented work force is a significant complement to an important aspect of our growth strategy," said Pilot Flying J president and CEO Jimmy Haslam. "Western Petroleum's exceptional service mentality has earned a place as a key vendor to some major petroleum and natural gas drilling companies. The company has positioned itself for growth in many of the key geographic regions where hydraulic fracturing and hydrocarbon drilling activities are escalating."

Haslam added, "Pilot Flying J recognizes the energy services channel as a way to diversify its business while participating in a growth industry."

A major supplier in the Rocky Mountain states through the traditional petroleum channels, Western Petroleum has been increasingly involved in marketing fuel and lubricants to the oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing industries. The company estimates it is currently marketing approximately 200 million gallons of fuel and lubricants annually to fracking operations in the Rockies as well as the northern Plains, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania.

"We are extremely excited to become a part of the Pilot Flying J team. They have an excellent reputation in the travel plaza and travel center business," Taylor said. "Their expertise in petroleum transportation and fuel acquisition will allow Western Petroleum to increase its ability to service its existing customers, and quickly and efficiently enter new markets."

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot Flying J has more than 550 retail locations in 47 states and eight Canadian provinces with annual sales of fuel estimated at over 500 million gallons — prior to the acquisition of Western Petroleum. In addition to fuels, Pilot Flying J markets its own private label and Kendall branded lubricants and is the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America.

SINCLAIR COMPLETES WYOMING REFINERY EXPANSION

SINCLAIR, WY. — Sinclair Oil has announced that it has completed the expansion of its refinery here.

The Wyoming refinery is now processing crude at a rate "in excess" of 80,000 barrels per day, a significant increase over the former output level of 53,000 bpd. In its new configuration, it is expected the plant will manufacture approximately equal quantities of gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel.

"Years ago we set course to broaden the capability and reach of the Sinclair Refinery," stated Ross Matthews, CEO of Sinclair Oil. "We have anticipated and looked forward to this day when we can greatly expand gasoline and diesel supply to consumers throughout the vast interior of the intermountain West."

In addition to increasing its output, the refinery was also retooled to process a diverse slate of feedstocks, including heavy sour crude and indigenous Utah waxy crude.

In recent years, the refinery had been operating at partial capacity due to challenges bringing on new equipment and because of making necessary repairs due to external power interruptions and equipment malfunctions.

The completion of all Sinclair Refinery expansion and repair projects coincided with the inauguration of the UNEV pipeline. Sinclair participated in the construction of this new pipeline to enable the transport of gasoline and diesel from Salt Lake City to terminals in Cedar City and Las Vegas.

The company said in view of the new distribution available because of the UNEV pipeline, increased output of the Sinclair refinery will be directed to markets in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada.

WALMART CLOSES MARKETSIDE CONCEPT STORES

CHANDLER, AZ. — Walmart has closed its Marketside stores in Arizona, a smaller, convenience-store sized concept it was testing in the West.

The Marketside stores were opened in 2008 in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe, AZ., focusing on marketing fresh food and prepared meals.

While Walmart is abandoning the smaller format stores in the West, the company is continuing to build and operate smaller stores in the Midwest and South.

FUEL TANK STOLEN FROM SUPERIOR AIRPORT

SUPERIOR, AZ. — A fuel tank, valued at $10,000, was stolen from the Superior Municipal Airport.

According to local police reports, the thieves used bolt cutters to get inside the airport gate, then to gain access to the jet fuel tank which belonged to Southwest Heliservices.

The 600-gallon aluminum tank has a fixed pump, filter and hose reel, and contained about 375 gallons of fuel. The Sheriff reports that the trailer VIN number is 4ZESH142671031191, the trailer license-plate number is S-68940, Arizona, and the tank serial number is 2000-779.

Both the Superior Police and Southwest Heliservices are looking for information regarding the equipment theft and encourage anyone with information to contact them; Southwest Heliservices is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

EZ LUBES SOLD, TO BE REBRANDED TO VIOC

NEWTON, MA. — EZ Lube LLC, which operated 72 quick lube locations in Southern California, has been sold to Henley Pacific LA. The price of the purchase was not disclosed.

EZ Lube had been owned by Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group until the sale on March 8.

The new owner of EZ Lube, Henley Pacific LA, is a West Coast division of Henley Enterprises of Newton, MA. Henley Enterprises is the largest franchisee of Valvoline Instant Oil Change.

With the completion of the sale, Henley Pacific is rebranding all of the EZ Lube locations to the Valvoline Instant Oil Change brand and image. It is expected that the conversion of the quick lubes will be completed within the next six months.

Originally published in the April 2012 issue of O&A Marketing News.
Copyright 2012 by KAL Publications Inc.