Blarney Castle/EZ Mart

This family-run oil company was started in 1933 in Bear Lake, Mich., where its headquarters remain today. The first gas station was named Blarney Castle #2 after the historic Blarney Castle in Ireland.

Founder Dennis E. McCarthy remained involved in the business until his death in November 2012 at age 94. His sons and grandsons continue to lead the business and its more than 800 employees.

The c-stores sell BP, Marathon, Mobile, Shell and Sunoco fuels, with Sunoco joining the lineup in 2015 when the chain acquired the 23 stores formerly owned by Blodgett Oil. With the Blodgett acquisition, the chain has 120 convenience stores throughout Michigan. All but a few sell gasoline, many sell diesel and several sell kerosene.

More than 80 of the chain's stores are branded EZ Mart, while some units and kiosks remain under the fuel brand name.

Nine sites offer a car wash. Two locations are tobacco shops that don't sell fuel. The company installed POS scanning and PDI's Enterprise back-office software over the past couple of years. The pricebook has the capability to receive downloads directly from the supplier to improve efficiency. The company expects a return on its investment in improved customer service, faster checkouts, better tracking/ordering/reporting of products and sales, and overall improvements in training and store management.