WHEELING, W.Va. -- Tri-State Petroleum Corp., a family-owned convenience store operator and wholesale distributor of motor fuels in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, is celebrating 40 years of business in 2014. The late Edward J. and Elizabeth J. Coyne founded the Wheeling, W.Va.-based company in 1974.
The company is managed by a team of experienced c-store operators, including several family members who have been active in the business for many years and are engaged in day-to-day management.
"The core values of the company have always included a strong family work ethic, which involved all of the family members working in the business from an early age," said Colleen Coyne McGlinn, CEO.
With price and allocation regulation in place in 1974, the first two years for Tri-State was limited to the sale of tires, batteries and accessories until Tri-State was awarded its first unbranded No. 2 fuel contract. In 1977, Tri-State purchased its first barge river terminal, which it continues to own and operate in Warwood, W.Va.
In 1979, Tri-State was awarded its first branded fuel supply contract with Gulf Oil. Tri-State expanded its branded fuel business in 1987 by entering into a branded fuel contract with BP Oil Co.
The company expanded its wholesale fuel distribution business into the c-store and retail gasoline business in the 1990s, including two major asset acquisitions in 1993 and 1997, and one of the first co-branded Exxon/Wendy's in the region in 1994. In 2002, Tri-State completed another major acquisition of retail assets formerly owned by Exxon in the Pittsburgh market.
As of April 1, 2012, Tri-State partnered with Marathon Petroleum Corp. to supply Marathon branded fuel to most of Tri-State's convenience retail locations. Today, all owned, operated or supplied locations are Marathon or BP.
Tri-State has worked to support several charities, including the Education Alliance Grant Program sponsored by ExxonMobil, Make-A-Wish Foundation through its participation in the WV Omega, the Edward J. and Elizabeth J. Coyne Foundation Scholarship and Wheeling Light the Night.
Throughout its history, Tri-State has been affiliated with numerous refining companies, including American Refining Group, Apex, Ashland, BP, CITGO, Chevron, Exxon, Gulf Oil, Marathon, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Sun Refining and Marketing, Sunoco, Texaco, and Uno-Ven.
"We are very proud to be celebrating our 40th anniversary, and to be carrying on the legacy of the business our parents founded. We are grateful for the opportunities that we have been blessed with in life and that we are able to give back to our employees and the communities that have supported our business over the last 40 years. We will always deeply appreciate all of our employees, business partners and customers who have been loyal to the company over the years. We look forward to many more years to come," McGlinn said.
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