SC Fules Acquired by Pilot Company
Coleman Oil Acquires Busch Distributing
Alta Acquires Petro-Mart C-Store Chain

SC FUELS ACQUIRED BY PILOT COMPANY

ORANGE, CA. — Pilot Company has signed a deal to acquire Southern Counties Oil Co., L.P. dba SC Fuels of Orange, CA. The purchase price for the deal, which was announced in December, was not disclosed.

Included in the deal were SC Fuels' operations with 47 proprietary cardlock locations as well as the company's fleet card programs, and its branded and unbranded gasoline, diesel fuel, and alternative fuels distribution which served over 11,000 customers across 10 states. Also included was the company's SC Lubricants division. Real estate was not included in the sale.

SC Fuels will continue to operate under the SC Fuels name and brand from the company's current headquarters in Orange, CA.

"We're going to continue running as-is," said Steven Greinke, who will serve as president of SC Fuels following the close of the acquisition. "I don't see anyone running to Knoxville. I will continue to stay on board running SC Fuels. I intend to stick around and carry on with what we're doing."

Greinke, who had been serving as CEO of SC Fuels, explained, "The main thing that was important was the right company for our people who could carry on the legacy my father and grandfather created."

Originally founded in 1930 as a Signal Oil distributorship, the company was acquired by Frank H. Greinke in 1965, who renamed it Greinke Petroleum and began the company's rapid expansion in Southern California. In 1972, the company opened its first "fleet card" site that evolved into the modern day cardlock location. As the company continued its expansion, it was renamed Southern Counties Oil Company in 1976.

In 1987, the second generation rose to leadership as Frank P. Greinke was named president, acquiring full ownership of the company in 1991. Greinke continued the expansion of Southern Counties Oil well beyond the southern counties of California and into several western states, prompting the adoption of the SC Fuels name in 2003. While growing SC Fuels, Frank also made significant contributions to the industry on a national level, serving as president of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America, and was honored for his career of service by the presentation of the SIGMA Distinguished Marketer Award in 2017.

In 2009, Frank P. Greinke's son, Steven Greinke, was promoted to COO and subsequently rose to CEO and continued the company's growth.

In making the decision to sell, Steven Greinke said he was guided by the example of his father, explaining, "As an entrepreneur in the fuel industry, my dad, Frank, risked so much every day. The constant worry wears on you mentally and physically, and I don't think he wanted that on future generations. His advice was to de-risk the family company for the future, while at the same time making sure there is a good home for the many different families supported by SC Fuels. My job now is to pass along a family company greater than that which was passed on to me."

Greinke said that as a potential suitor, "I look at Pilot as a known company for multiple generations of our company. We've done some deals with them in the past."

He added, "The SC Fuels team has done an impeccable job building and strengthening our geographic footprint within our core markets. We look forward to the continued opportunities and growth under Pilot."

"We welcome the entire SC Fuels team to the Pilot Company family and look forward to working alongside the SC Fuels executive leadership, which will remain in place," said Brad Jenkins, senior vice president of supply and distribution for Pilot Company, announcing the deal. "This move strengthens Pilot Company's supply infrastructure and fueling network across the West Coast."

Founded in 1958, Pilot is ranked by Forbes as the 7th largest private company in America. As one of the leading suppliers of fuel and the largest operator of travel centers, Pilot has more than 800 locations across North America and supplies more than 12 billion gallons of fuel per year.

COLEMAN OIL ACQUIRES BUSCH DISTRIBUTING

LEWISTON, ID. — Coleman Oil Company, based in Lewiston, ID.,, has acquired Busch Distributing Inc. of Moscow, ID., in a deal signed in December. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Included in the sale are the marketing and distribution assets of Busch Distributing, including its Sunset Marts convenience store chain, 24 CFN cardlocks, four bulk fuel plants, its transportation fleet, and Chevron lubricants business.

Coleman Oil plans to keep the Busch Distributing staff in place.

Busch Distributors was founded in 1963 by Tom Busch and has been led by Eric Busch since 2003, serving customers in the Idaho and Washington territory.

"Given our family legacy with this company, selling was a difficult decision for me," said Eric Busch. "Our team put together a premier operation and our staff will be transitioning to Coleman to continue to provide excellent customer service to our customers."

Busch added, "While the choice to sell the company was not an easy one, I am confident that customers and employees will be happy with the Coleman team."

"With this acquisition we will proudly own and operate over 100 cardlock fueling locations, 13 bulk plants and 12 retail fuel and convenience stores in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon," stated Ian and Bob Coleman, president and CEO respectively, of Coleman Oil, announcing the deal in a letter to Busch customers.

ALTA ACQUIRES PETRO-MART C-STORE CHAIN

DENVER, CO. — Alta Convenience of Denver, CO., has acquired the Petro-Mart convenience store chain and business from Western Oil, based in St. Louis, MO. The purchase price was not made public for the deal which was announced in December.

Included in the sale are Western Oil's 46 Petro-Mart stores and supply agreements with 39 wholesale dealers in Missouri and Illinois.

"It's rare to have an opportunity to acquire a portfolio of stores that have both quality locations as well as being operationally sound," said Rich Spresser, president of Alta Convenience.

The Eble family, which owned and operated Western Oil, will exit the business following the close of the sale.

"I am extremely proud of what the Western team has built from our beginnings over 30 years ago," said company founder George Eble, announcing the deal, "and I am confident that our progress will continue under Alta's ownership and Rich's further stewardship. While it was the right time for me to transition Western's ownership, I could not be more excited about what the future holds for our business, our employees and the communities we serve."

Alta Convenience has 111 convenience stores located in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming and markets fuel under several brands including Phillips 66, Conoco, Exxon and Mobil. It is a joint venture between affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC and a subsidiary of Phillips 66.

Originally published in the February 2022 issue of O&A Marketing News.
Copyright 2022 by KAL Publications Inc.