FORT YATES, N.D. -- Spirit Petroleum continues expanding through the Upper Midwest with the opening of the first Spirit station in North Dakota, company president Vera Haskins has announced. The retail fuel site is part of Red & White Trading Co., a new enterprise incorporating a restaurant, catering operation, banquet hall, package liquor store and convenience store under one roof.
Red & White Trading Co. and the Spirit fuel site are located on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation in Fort Yates, N.D.
"We laid out the brand options, and it was clear that Spirit's image, flexibility and lack of minimum volume requirements made it the best choice for the site," said Tom Froelich of Missouri Valley Petroleum, the site's supplier. "We've been fans of Spirit for a long time, and are delighted for the opportunity to license the brand."
"I had the option of six different brands, and Spirit was the very obvious best choice for my business," said Jody Luger, Red & White Trading Co.'s owner. "The brand name and image are just a perfect fit for the location and our community. The business is located on Bald Eagle Avenue, so it was kind of meant to be. But beyond that, the eagle is a strong symbol for the cultural aspects of our tribe and the values we cherish. And the colors mesh perfectly with the Red & White name, which comes from the store my dad operated here in the forties and fifties."
Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association, said, "We're extremely excited about Spirit coming to our state. We believe going with Spirit is the right thing to do, both for the state association and the national association. And it couldn't be more appropriate to have the eagle flying over the buttes of Fort Yates. We really like the look of the brand, and hope that the new Red & White Trading Co. location is just a first step for Spirit Petroleum in our state."
New Hope, Pa.-based Spirit is a nationally recognized petroleum brand managed by marketers and owned by the nonprofit Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA).
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