TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- Reginald Newman II, who helped build NOCO Energy Corp. into the largest independent suppliers of petroleum products in western New York and one of the largest family-owned companies in the region, died April 7 at 80.
Reginald Newman founded NOCO in 1933 as R.B. Newman Fuel Corp., a coal delivery company. His sons Donald and Reginald joined the company in 1957 and 1960, respectively.
Donald and Reginald opened the first of approximately 40 NOCO gas stations and convenience stores in the area in 1964. Along with its c-stores, Tonawanda, N.Y.-based NOCO offers a full line of residential and commercial products and services, including natural gas, electricity, propane, heating oil, HVAC sales and service and commercial fuels. The retailer is No. 164 in CSP’s 2017 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by number of company-operated locations.
In 1973, NOCO acquired a 33-million-gallon storage facility from Gulf Oil. In 1983, NOCO purchased the adjacent 10-million-gallon operation from Ashland Oil to give the company more than 42 million gallons of petroleum storage capacity.
Donald Newman, who became president of the company in 1967 and, after serving as chairman, became chairman emeritus in 1998, died in 2015. One of his sons, James, is president. Another son, Michael, is executive vice president. Reginald Newman II was president of the company and chairman from 1998 to his retirement in 2002.
“We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our husband, father, grandfather and friend Reg Newman II," the Newman family said in a statement provided to CSP Daily News by NOCO Energy. “We are extremely proud of the legacy Reg leaves behind, including building one of the largest energy companies in the Buffalo Niagara region. Reg also was involved in a number of charitable and civic groups and organizations throughout the area. We will miss Reg dearly, but we know he has humbly left an indelible imprint in the community and in the energy industry.”
In addition to his wife of 57 years and his daughter, he is survived by a son, a sister and four grandchildren.
CSP sends condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.