Alon/7-Eleven Acquires 14 Albuquerque Sites
Hawaii Repeals Ethanol Blending Mandate
Kellerstrass Oil Acquires Hansen Oil
D&H Petroleum Merges with United Pump
San Francisco MTA Fined for UST Violations

ALON/7-ELEVEN ACQUIRES 14 ALBUQUERQUE SITES

ALBUQUERQUE, NM. — Roberts Oil Company has sold its 14 Roberts Oil and Pump-N-Save service stations and convenience stores to Alon Brands, based in Dallas, TX. The price for the purchase was not disclosed.

The former Roberts Oil Company service stations and convenience stores will be rebranded to Alon and 7-Eleven before the end of October, according to the company. All Roberts Oil team members, including store associates and managers, were hired by Alon as part of the transition.

"After more than 40 years of serving the Albuquerque community, the decision to sell was not an easy one for our family," said Karon Roberts of Roberts Oil Company. "However, we're confident that our business, our employees and our customers are in good hands with Alon/7-Eleven, and we're looking forward to seeing the positive changes Alon has planned for the stores."

"This expansion is part of a significant investment we're making in the Albuquerque region," said Eric Corley, regional manager for Alon Brands in Albuquerque, announcing the deal. "In addition to growing the Alon/7-Eleven footprint by more than 50 percent, we also just finished remodeling all of our locations in the area and built a brand new store in Rio Rancho. I'm proud of the commitment the company has made and will continue to make to this community and our customers here in Albuquerque."

With the addition of the former Roberts Oil assets, Alon operates 38 service stations and convenience store locations in Albuquerque. Nationally, Alon Brands markets Alon motor fuel products at more than 800 locations and is the largest U.S. licensee of 7-Eleven.

HAWAII REPEALS ETHANOL BLENDING MANDATE

HONOLULU, HI. — A new law has been signed in Hawaii, repealing the ethanol mandate for gasoline.

Under the terms of the bill, signed by Governor David Ige this summer, gasoline may be marketed in Hawaii without ethanol blended into its formulation.

The authors of the bill successfully argued that the requirement of blending ethanol into gasoline did not produce any economic benefit for the state and the import of ethanol creates an economic burden for state residents.

The new law becomes effective December 31, 2015.

KELLERSTRASS OIL ACQUIRES HANSEN OIL

SOUTH OGDEN, UT. — Kellerstrass Oil Company, based here, has acquired Hansen Oil Company, headquartered in Soda Springs, ID. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Included in the deal were all of Hansen Oil's assets, including their gasoline, diesel, and lubricant distribution operations and offices in Soda Springs and Montpelier, ID., and Afton, WY., which will now be operated as part of Kellerstrass Oil.

Adam Hansen, Jeff Hansen, and Justin Hansen, the third generation operating Hansen Oil, will now join Kellerstrass Oil "and will serve as an integral part to the success of this purchase," according to the company. Justin will serve as operations manager for the Montpelier office, Adam will serve as operations manager for the Soda Springs office, and Jeff will serve as a field sales representative covering the territory of Idaho and Wyoming from the Soda Springs office.

"We are very excited for the opportunity to purchase Hansen Oil after a longtime relationship of knowing Kirk Hansen and the Hansen Oil family," said Craig Kellerstrass, president of Kellerstrass Oil. "We look forward to a bright future servicing all of Hansen's customers and will continue our commitment to provide quality products and expert customer service in these communities."

With the addition of the Hansen Oil sites, Kellerstrass Oil now operates eight locations serving customers in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado.

D&H PETROLEUM MERGES WITH UNITED PUMP

ALBUQUERQUE, NM. — Petroleum equipment distributor and service company D&H Petroleum and Environmental Services, headquartered here, has merged with United Pump of San Antonio, TX., effective as of August 18.

The combined businesses will operate under the name D&H United Fueling Solutions Inc. and will be headquartered in Schertz, TX., with branch offices in Albuquerque and Farmington, NM., as well as five other locations in Texas.

D&H United Fueling will offer petroleum equipment and service in the territory of New Mexico, Eastern Arizona, Southern Colorado, Texas, western Oklahoma, western Louisiana and southwestern Kansas.

As part of the merging of the two companies, petroleum industry veteran Bo Sasnett was brought on board in August to serve as the new CEO of D&H. Sasnett has held a variety of positions in the industry including serving as president of Additech, vice president of business development for Bennett Pump, and national sales director of Dresser Wayne before joining D&H United Fueling.

John Farrell, who had been serving as president of D&H, will remain with D&H United Fueling as the company's president. Mike Teaff, who had been working as a sales representative for the past 10 years with the company, has been promoted to serve as the new corporate sales manager for D&H United Fueling, managing the sales staff company-wide.

"The company has a long history and an outstanding reputation in the industry as fueling solutions experts," said Sasnett, announcing the merger. "As one company, we have an unmatched footprint across the Southwest that allows us to work with current and new customers as they grow in our markets."

United Pump Supply had been operating since 1936 selling, servicing and installing fuel dispensing equipment to the commercial and retail fueling industry. D&H Petroleum and Environmental has served the Southwest in fuel management system sales and service since 1964 and was a licensed petroleum storage tank contractor in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.

SAN FRANCISCO MTA FINED FOR UST VIOLATIONS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. — The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has agreed to a $1.35 million settlement to the California State Water Resources Control Board for violating underground storage tank regulations and for allowing leaks to occur in four of their tanks.

The leaking tanks, which held biodiesel, gasoline, motor oil and diesel, are part of the San Francisco Municipal Railway fuel storage.

As part of the settlement, the SFMTA agreed to pay a fine of $425,000 for the violations which included failing to monitor their tanks and systems, a lack of spill-containment devices, and failing to carry out monthly checks as required by law.

They also agreed to start a leak-prevention program or pay $375,000 in fines and to maintain the legal standards for their USTs for four years or pay an additional $450,000 in fines.

"We hope that this settlement marks a turning point for the SFMTA to prioritize environmental compliance," said David Boyers, assistant chief counsel for Water Resources Control Board's office of enforcement. "This is a fair and reasonable resolution that allows us to ensure that proper steps are followed going forward."

Earlier in the year, the SFMTA was fined $250,000 in civil penalties for a spill that leaked 39,000 gallons of diesel fuel into San Francisco Bay.

Originally published in the October 2015 issue of O&A Marketing News.
Copyright 2015 by KAL Publications Inc.