GATE Stores

Gate Petroleum Co., based in Jacksonville, Fla., is a privately owned company that operates service stations with convenience stores in the Southeastern states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, all under the Gate banner.

The chain is updating its brand, as signified by use now of GATE, all in capital letters. The company opened the first Gate service station in North Jacksonville, Fla., in 1960. It expanded into new states in the 1970s and 1980s. It acquired 28 7-Eleven stores in the Jacksonville market in 1990.

Gate Petroleum Marketing division, the core business of Gate Petroleum Co., operates 73 stores and distributes fuel to about 150 dealer gas station and convenience-store locations. It has total petroleum product sales of 1 million gallons a day. The retail business is divided into two operating divisions—the northern division operates from Charlotte, N.C., while the southern division operates from Jacksonville.

In June 2013, the company was chosen as one of the best places to work in Jacksonville by the Jacksonville Business Journal. It ranked third in the large-business category.