ACWORTH, Ga. — Mountain Express Oil Co. has acquired the West Hill Ranch convenience-store brand with six locations in central Florida.
As part of the acquisition, Mountain Express Oil will assume the operations and rebrand all West Hill Ranch locations to the Mountain Express banner. By vertically integrating Mountain Express’s scaled fuel distribution platform with West Hill Ranch, the combined business will operate a diversified portfolio of fuel distribution, retail operations, real estate and services segments.
The combined company will be focused on expanding its retail operations platform, with plans to accelerate its footprint to at least 100 locations by end of 2021 through the acquisition of locations throughout the United States. The company’s goal is to own or control more than 300 stations, service nearly 800, operate nearly 100 c-stores and manage several hundred employees by year-end 2021, Lamar Frady and Turjo Wadud, co-CEOs of Mountain Express Oil, said.
“The transaction is part of an ambitious plan to redefine what consumers expect from the convenience store and fuel station experience with a shift toward dynamic destinations featuring food, beverages and other product offerings that complement the modern lifestyle and expectations of today’s consumer,” they said.
“While there are certainly other convenience and fuel chain companies out there, we naturally gravitated to West Hill Ranch because of its exceptional service, forward-thinking approach and commitment to being strong anchors in the community, which aligns so strongly with our business philosophy,” said Wadud.
Entrepreneurs and investors Chase Begor and Spencer Kushner, with experience in building and scaling service-oriented businesses, launched Lakewood Ranch, Fla.-based West Hill Ranch in early 2020. They saw an opportunity to scale a convenience-store brand by focusing on strong customer engagement and top-quality products delivered in a clean and safe environment, they said.
Following the acquisition, Begor, CEO of West Hill Ranch, and Kushner, CFO, will serve as operating partner and retail co-president, respectively, at Mountain Express Oil. Together, they will focus on investments in the company’s management team, technology, infrastructure and retail operations.
“As Mountain Express continues to grow its national footprint, we are excited to partner with an innovative and fast-growing company such as West Hill Ranch,” said Frady. “We look forward to bolstering Mountain Express’ leadership with the addition of Chase and Spencer, who will bring a wealth of operating experience to our organization.”
“West Hill Ranch has always been about driving traffic and serving communities as a one-stop-shop destination,” said Begor. “By joining Mountain Express, we’re excited about the partnership and believe we will be able to create a unique diversified fuel services business that goes beyond pure distribution capabilities.”
Founded in 2000, Acworth, Ga.-based Mountain Express Oil owns or controls more than 200 gas stations and provides fuel to more than 600 stations around the country. In 2020, Frady and Wadud led a management buyout of Mountain Express Oil.
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.