Freedom Oil Co.

A third-generation, family-owned business, Freedom Oil Co. has an unorthodox retail footprint that sees most company-owned and operated stores in central Illinois, but a few located in Florida. Patriotism is at the heart of its branding, as the retail image is defined by an American flag and star-spangled red and white logo scheme. The Shell-branded company also owns and operates a wholesale fuel operation, distributing products to many branded and independent dealer accounts in Illinois.

Its "Best for Less" merchandising pledge focuses on increasing profit margin while also offering optimal deals for customers—a win-win proposition. The target audience hails from the Bloomington, Ill., community, a college town that has two universities, including Illinois State. The Florida stores, which span from the north in St. Augustine to the south in Key West, target 18- to 40-year-old males.

With its Freedom Oil and Owens Oil Fleet Card (the latter embossed with the founding company last name) customers get access to all Freedom Oil locations in Illinois and Florida.

For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.