MORRISTOWN, Tenn. -- Don Rogers, chairman of Rogers Petroleum, is offering $10,000 in academic scholarships to celebrate its 30th anniversary. "We appreciate the support of our customers, suppliers and the communities in which we operate, and we are very pleased to be able to offer the $10,000 in academic scholarships to employees and their families for helping us reach the 30-year milestone for our company," he said.
In 1980, when Rogers Petroleum opened for business in Morristown, Tenn., five employees sold two million gallons of gasoline. This year, 30 years later, [image-nocss] the 300 employees at East Tennessee's largest petroleum marketer are distributing 178 million gallons of fuel.
Rogers, one of those first five employees, said the growth of the company is attributable to its business model of integrity and customer service. "The reasons for our success are hiring good, dedicated employees with integrity and treating our customers and employees the way we would like to be treated," Rogers said. "We've had some of our customers for all of our 30 years, and we've hired people who have grown with us."
Diversification has been another key factor in the success of the company, he said. Rogers Petroleum has three operating divisions: fuels distribution; the Zoomerz network of 19 convenience stores and four Subway restaurants; and LubriCorp, one of the largest lubricant distributors in the Southeast.
The company has expanded its customer base beyond Tennessee and has customers in more than a dozen other states, including Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Texas and California.
It also sells fuel to many independent convenience store marketers.
Rogers Petroleum markets fuel brands including ExxonMobil, Marathon and CITGO, as well as lubricant brands Shell, ExxonMobil, Quaker State and Castrol. Rogers Petroleum is a leading provider of unbranded fuels and lubricants.
And Rogers Petroleum is an active member of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition and offers ethanol, E85 and B20 fuels. The company provides biofuels to various municipalities and fleet operations.
An extremely generous corporate citizen in Hamblen County and Tennessee, Rogers Petroleum supports charities ranging from Hamblen County United Way, United Way organizations in other communities, St. Jude's, Junior Achievement, the March of Dimes, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Boys & Girls Clubs and Girls Inc., among many others.
"We believe strongly in giving back to the communities in which we live and operate," Rogers said. "We believe in doing the right thing for the right reason. The most effective way to do that is to invest our contribution dollars and volunteers in strategic efforts to help those less fortunate."
[Pictured: Penny and Don Rogers, center; from left, Rick Denton, Ralph Laster, Scott Holbert, Brent Cooper, Penny and Don, Janet Lane, Melinda Andrews, Shirley Davidson and Jerry Haun.]
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