KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Two East Tennessee petroleum distributors are merging operations to create what they say will be one of the largest lubricant distributors in the Southeast, reported The Knoxville News Sentinel. The Rogers Petroleum Inc. Lubricants Division and Kelso Oil Co. said in a press release cited by the newspaper that they will combine to form LubriCorp LLC. Financial terms of the merger were not disclosed. The new company will begin operations December 1.
Rogers Petroleum will continue to operate separately from LubriCorp, distributing wholesale conventional fuel and biofuels [image-nocss] and operating convenience stores under the Zoomerz brand, the release said.
LubriCorp CEO Mike Foltz said the two companies decided to combine to enable them to better serve their customers in a changing market. "By joining these two companies, we bring together the two strongest lubricant lines in the nation—Shell Pennzoil and Exxon Mobil," Foltz said in the statement.
"As a combined entity, LubriCorp is better able to grow in today's consolidating marketplace," he added. "Our passion for growth works so that we can satisfy the needs of our customers, ensure the viability of our future in a changing business environment, and build our brand strength in the areas we serve."
Rogers Petroleum started in 1980 when Don and Penney Rogers purchased the Exxon USA distribution business serving the Morristown/Hamblen County area, the report said. In 1998, Rogers purchased Southeastern Lubricants in Kingston, Tenn., retaining that name for its lubricants operating company. Today, Rogers Southeastern Lubricants serves customers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Texas.
Kelso was founded by the Gettelfinger family in 1948 as a home heating oil company. A third-generation company led by Chris Gettelfinger, Kelso distributes Shell, Pennzoil, Quaker State and Castrol products. The Gettelfingers recently purchased the 110,000-square-foot Lays' facility in Karns that will serve as LubriCorp's corporate headquarters. Kelso constructed a state-of-the-art bulk farm there and has eight acres for expansion. From its primary locations in Knoxville and the Tri-Cities, Kelso serves customers in East Tennessee and parts of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama, said the report.
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