Kirmani first arrived in New York City from Lahore, Pakistan, in December 1995. With no experience in the retail fuels business, he began managing a gas station in Queens, N.Y. He learned the business and purchased his first Gulf station in 2001.
As a branded dealer for Gulf, Kirmani invested in the site and grew the business. Gulf Oil granted SNK Petroleum distributor status in 2011. All 50 SNK sites carry the orange and blue Gulf flag. He focused on buying sites individually or in small numbers, first expanding in his home state of New York, with fuel property purchases upstate. The company then expanded into the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
SNK Petroleum continued to purchase sites that were mostly underperforming and in need of improvements. With the capital in place, Kirmani refurbished each site, inside and out. The SNK strategy is to take sites that were previously run down and left for dead and upgrade them with an improved image, better service, competitive pricing and Gulf branding.