RIDGEFIELD, Conn. -- Northern Tier Energy LLC said that Chester J. Kuchta has joined the company as vice president of supply, effective immediately. As part of Northern Tier Energy's efforts to capitalize on the commercial opportunities, Kuchta will work in close partnership with Rex Butcher, who will continue to be responsible for marketing and strategic projects as vice president of marketing.
In late 2010, Houston-based Marathon Oil Corp. said that its wholly owned subsidiary, Marathon Petroleum Co. LP, had closed the transaction--announced in May--with ACON Investments [image-nocss] LLC (ACON) and TPG Capital (TPG) for the sale of most of Marathon's SuperAmerica downstream assets in Minnesota. ACON and TPG formed Northern Tier Energy LLC to operate the assets as a standalone company. (Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage.)
"We are thrilled to announce that Chet has joined our senior management team," said Mario E. Rodriguez, CEO of Northern Tier Energy. "Chet brings a wealth of commercial experience to our organization. He will focus on continuing to strengthen our crude oil sourcing activities and to enhance further our supplier relationships. Chet's extensive experience in petroleum refining makes this a very exciting opportunity for him and us."
Most recently, Kuchta held the position of chief operating officer of Petroplus Holdings AG, a leading European independent refiner and wholesaler of petroleum products. He worked as Petroplus' chief commercial officer from June 2006 until November 2009, when he was promoted to COO.
Prior to joining Petroplus, Kuchta was vice president of crude oil supply and trading at the Premcor Refining Group Inc. from 2002 until Premcor's sale to Valero Energy Corp. in 2005. Kuchta also served as crude oil supply manager for Phillips 66 Co.'s East Coast and Gulf Coast systems, following Phillips' acquisition of Tosco Corp. in 2001. Additionally, he served in various commercial and refining positions at Tosco from 1996 to 2001. Prior to joining Tosco, Kuchta spent six years at the Exxon Corp. in various refining, economic and environmental engineering positions.
Northern Tier Energy is an independent downstream energy company headquartered in Ridgefield, Conn., with refining, retail and pipeline operations serving the PADD II region of the United States. The company was established to own and operate the St. Paul Park Refinery as well as a retail network of SuperAmerica brand convenience stores and a 17% equity interest in the Minnesota Pipeline.
SuperAmerica operates and licenses 233 gasoline and convenience stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
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.