So for this month I decided to do a timeline history of the Gulf Oil Company which is my fifth favorite company. Gulf Oil Company started in 1909 and are still around today, many of you may see them and go to their stations but around here I only know of one gulf oil change place.
1909-1919: When the company that was to be known as Gulf was born in 1901 with an oil discovery in Spindletop, TX, the primary commercial fuel was coal. By 1903, the age of the machine had arrived and it was now up to the gas industry to keep up. Gasoline development, into which Gulf invested millions, responded to advances in automotive technology to make the modern car possible. Within a dozen years of Spindletop, Gulf scored notable firsts with the world’s first drive-in service station, complimentary Gulf road maps and over water drilling at Ferry Lake. In 1917, the Gulfstream went into World War I service, along with the rest of Gulf's tanker fleet.
1920-1949: Gulfpride - the World's Finest Motor Oil was manufactured and first marketed in 1928 and by the early 1930's, Gulf was a major U.S. Corporation. In 1949, William Larimer Mellon, a founder and active head of Gulf for 45 years, died at 80, just 17 months after his retirement, as the company moved into eighth place among the largest manufacturing concerns in the United States.
1950-1974: As Gulf entered its second half-century, the needs became more diverse and technologically ever changing. By 1960, it was clear that Gulf's growth rate during the 1950s had been twice that of the United States as an economic entity. During the 1960s, Gulf mounted vigorous exploration, production and marketing programs including several new refineries, petrochemical and polyethylene plants, they also constructed six oil tankers, a joint development with the Holiday Inns of America (I had no idea this even happened) and the re-design of the Orange Disc to make it more clearly identifiable.
1986-2009: In 1986 Cumberland Farms acquired the naming rights to the Gulf Oil brand from Chevron to be used in eleven northeast states. But it wasn’t until 1993 that Gulf Oil Limited Partnership was formed after Cumberland Farms entered a joint venture with Catamount Petroleum LP. In 2005, Cumberland acquired the company in full and brought in CEO Joe Petrowski, who charged the company with re-inventing the brand. Since then, a renewed commitment to the Gulf brand has been established with the introduction of new minimum standards and image requirements.
Jan. 12, 2010: Present On January 12, 2010, Gulf Oil acquired all rights, title and interest to the “Gulf” brand in the U.S. This acquisition enabled Gulf to expand its use of the Gulf brand throughout the U.S. for the first time since it acquired certain rights to the brand in 1986. Under the leadership of Gulf Oil President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Sabia and Gulf Oil Senior Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Rick Dery, thousands of service stations proudly fly the Gulf colors, carrying on the tradition of a quality product line and friendly service. Gulf Oil Limited Partnership, now based in Framingham, MA is a wholesaler of refined petroleum products. Gulf distributes motor fuels through a network of more than 2,000 Gulf branded gas stations and service stations, as well as heating oil, diesel fuel and kerosine.