APPLETON, Wis. -- U.S. Venture Inc., a distributor and marketer of petroleum fuels and lubricants, has created a corporate division for its compressed natural gas (CNG) operations. U.S. Gain will include all operations related to the expansion of the GAIN Clean Fuel CNG fueling network, which serves commercial fleet operators and shippers.
The network has around 20 CNG fueling sites that are operational, most located in Wisconsin, as well as Ohio, Colorado, Indiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Alabama. It has another 20 under development, with plans to have 100 locations operational in the next two years.
GAIN Clean Fuel originally operated as part of U.S. Venture's U.S. Oil division, which specializes in petroleum-based fuel and biofuel distribution, trading and terminal operations. It most recently partnered with convenience store industry distributor Core-Mark International to build public-access CNG fueling sites for its fleet in Arkansas. In second-quarter 2015, U.S. Gain will be building more GAIN Clean Fuel sites to serve Core-Mark fleets in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
The creation of the new U.S. Gain division is a reflection of the growth opportunity in CNG for commercial transportation, company executives said.
"We are very excited about our new U.S. Gain division," said John Schmidt, president of U.S. Venture, Appleton, Wis. "This move supports the U.S. Venture vision of being the very best value-adding distributor of products that vehicles consume in North America. It recognizes the strategic importance and role U.S. Gain will play in achieving that vision."
Bill Renz, general manager for U.S. Gain, said, "The new division emphasizes U.S Venture's commitment to this growing category and to the GAIN Clean Fuel brand. The quality way we do business will not change, and our goal remains to be a leading national supplier to our commercial customers."
U.S. Venture Inc., founded more than 60 years ago, is family owned and has several divisions specializing in the distribution of petroleum and renewable energy products, lubricants and tires and parts for the automotive aftermarket. Its business divisions include U.S. Oil, U.S. AutoForce, U.S. Lubricants and U.S. Gain. After 40 years as a direct operator of convenience stores, U.S. Venture Inc. announced in early December that it is selling its remaining company-operated Express Convenience Centers c-stores and transitioning its franchised locations into a licensing model.
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