COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Wholesalers, Except Bulk Stations and Terminals

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

81companies1847–2000founding years78still active3no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBoatmen's Bancshares Inc.
1847
1859
TechnologyDrake's well at Titusville launches the oil industry.
FoundedHeidelberger Zement AG
1873
FoundedHerman Goelitz, Inc.
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedBlue Diamond Growers
1910
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedLutheran Brotherhood
1917
FoundedZatarain's, Inc.
1922
FoundedRayonier Inc.
1926
FoundedPorsche AG
1931
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedShowa Shell Sekiyu K.K.
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedIams Company
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedBayer A.G.
1952
FoundedCumberland Farms, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedPeet's Coffee & Tea, Inc.
1966
FoundedOffshore Logistics, Inc.
1969
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedThe Really Useful Group
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedGrameen Bank
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAmerican Classic Voyages Company
1985
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedFootstar, Incorporated
1996
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Boatmen's Bancshares Inc. →
Active · founded 1847
Boatmen's Bancshares Inc.
The Associated Press →
Active · founded 1848
The Associated Press (AP) describes itself as the largest newsgathering organization in the world.
Société du Louvre →
Defunct · founded 1855 · France
Société du Louvre does not run that Paris museum, but its properties are almost as distinguished.
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company →
Active · founded 1867
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is a prominent regional and specialty beer brewer.
Heidelberger Zement AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Heidelberger Zement AG is one of the world's five largest producers of construction materials.
Vorwerk & Co. →
Active · founded 1883 · Germany
For more than 100 years, Vorwerk & Co.
Burmah Castrol PLC →
Defunct · founded 1886 · United Kingdom
Originally known as The Burmah Oil Company Ltd., Burmah Castrol PLC is the oldest oil enterprise in the United Kingdom.
Sunoco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1890
Sunoco, Inc.
Nippon Oil Corporation →
Active · founded 1893 · Japan
Nippon Oil Corporation is Japan's largest importer and distributor of petroleum products, controlling about 25 percent…
Herman Goelitz, Inc. →
Active · founded 1898
Herman Goelitz, Inc.
Deutsche BP Aktiengesellschaft →
Active · founded 1904 · Germany
Deutsche BP Aktiengesellschaft is one of the top suppliers of petroleum products in the competitively fragmented German…
The King Arthur Flour Company →
Active · founded 1904
The King Arthur Flour Company celebrates its 210th anniversary in the year 2000.
The British Petroleum Company plc →
Active · founded 1909 · England
One of the five largest oil companies in the world, The British Petroleum Company plc (BP) is the United Kingdom's…
Blue Diamond Growers →
Active · founded 1910
Blue Diamond Growers is the world's largest tree nut marketer and also ranks as one of the largest agricultural…
CITGO Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
CITGO Petroleum Corporation, owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de…
Hartmarx Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Hartmarx Corporation is a holding company for a number of clothing companies, including its flagship brands of men's…
The Lane Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
The Lane Co., Inc.
Schott Brothers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913
Schott Brothers, Inc.
Lutheran Brotherhood →
Active · founded 1917
Lutheran Brotherhood is the second-largest fraternal benefit society in the United States.
Mitsubishi Corporation →
Active · founded 1918 · Japan
Appearing on everything from automobiles to agricultural goods, the Mitsubishi Corporation's three diamond logo has…
Shionogi & Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · Japan
Shionogi & Co., Ltd., ranks among Japan's leading developers, producers, and exporters of pharmaceuticals.
Cabot Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Cabot Corporation is a diversified, global chemical and plastics manufacturer with industry leadership in such areas as…
Zatarain's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
Zatarain's, Inc., is a leading producer of rice mixes.
Advance Publications Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Family owned and operated, Advance Publications Inc.
Quantum Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Quantum Chemical Corporation (prior to 1988, the National Distillers and Chemical Corporation) is one of the largest…
Weis Markets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Weis Markets, Inc.
Aquila, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Aquila, Inc.
Rayonier Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Rayonier Inc.
Triarc Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
Triarc Companies, Inc.
AMETEK, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
AMETEK, Inc.
Pendleton Grain Growers Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
Pendleton Grain Growers Inc.
Porsche AG →
Active · founded 1931 · Germany
Porsche AG is legendary for its innovative and beautiful automobile designs.
Value Line, Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
Value Line, Inc.
Besnier SA →
Active · founded 1933 · France
Besnier SA is France's largest dairy products producer and one of the largest dairy products producers in Europe.
TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. →
Active · founded 1939 · Japan
TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K.
World's Finest Chocolate Inc. →
Active · founded 1939
World's Finest Chocolate Inc.
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
c.
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Jos.
Kaman Corp. →
Active · founded 1945
Kaman Corp.
Sub-Zero Freezer Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Sub-Zero Freezer Co., Inc., is the leading manufacturer of built-in refrigerators, which can be fronted with cabinetry…
Iams Company →
Active · founded 1946
Iams Company is a manufacturer of premium dog and cat foods which are distributed only through veterinarians, animal…
Cumberland Packing Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
Cumberland Packing Corporation is a relatively small, family-run business, yet it has been a major player in the…
Dal-Tile International Inc. →
Active · founded 1947
Dal-Tile International Inc.
Johnston Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Although it got its start selling auto replacement parts, Johnston Industries, Inc.
Consorcio G Grupo Dina, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1951 · Mexico
Consorcio G Grupo Dina , S.A.
Bayer A.G. →
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Bayer A.G., along with BASF and Hoechst, is heir to the German chemical cartel known as I.G.
WD-40 Company →
Active · founded 1953
Since the 1950s, the San Diego-based WD-40 Company has dominated the U.S.
Dover Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturing holding company composed of about 50 subsidiaries with…
Renault Argentina S.A. →
Active · founded 1955 · Argentina
Of Argentina's ten automakers, almost all are closely held subsidiaries or affiliates of their American, European, or…
Cumberland Farms, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Founded in 1938 as a one-cow dairy farm, Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Agway, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Agway, Inc., is one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in the United States.
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc.
National Picture & Frame Company →
Active · founded 1964
National Picture & Frame Company is a major designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a wide variety of low-priced…
Ruth's Chris Steak House →
Active · founded 1965
Ruth's Chris Steak House is an international chain of upscale restaurants.
Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Founded in Berkeley, California, in the mid-1960s, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc.
Ceradyne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Ceradyne, Inc.
Flying J Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Flying J Inc.
Giant Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Early 1980s:Competition from the oil majors forces Acridge to close all his stations in the Phoenix metro area and to…
Offshore Logistics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Offshore Logistics, Inc., with headquarters in Lafayette, Louisiana, provides a variety of services to the petroleum…
Desc, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1973 · Mexico
Desc, S.A.
The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
The Yankee Candle Company Inc.
The Summit Bancorporation →
Active · founded 1974
The Summit Bancorporation is the holding company for Summit Bank, New Jersey's fourth largest bank.
Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile →
Active · founded 1976 · Chile
: 212234 Copper Ore & Nickel Ore Mining; 331411 Primary Smelting & Refining of Copper Ore The state-owned Corporacion…
The Really Useful Group →
Active · founded 1977 · United Kingdom
The Really Useful Group is the umbrella corporation over a welter of entertainment and leisure companies that operate…
Riklis Family Corp. →
Active · founded 1980
Riklis Family Corp.
Uni-Marts, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Uni-Marts, Inc., is the ninth-largest convenience store chain in the United States in sales and among the top 100 U.S.
Nimbus CD International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
In the mid-1990s Nimbus CD International, Inc.
Grameen Bank →
Active · founded 1983 · Bangladesh
Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus pioneered the concept of 'micro-credit'--minuscule loans to the very poor.
Altera Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Founded in 1983, Altera Corporation is a leading maker of high-density programmable logic devices (PLDs), based on…
Novellus Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Based in San Jose, California, Novellus Systems, Inc.
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
World Fuel Services Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
World Fuel Services Corporation (WFSC) is a leading downstream marketer of aviation and marine fuel products.
American Classic Voyages Company →
Active · founded 1985
American Classic Voyages Company is parent company to two pleasure cruise companies, the Delta Queen Steamboat Company,…
Brightpoint, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Brightpoint, Inc.
Rooms To Go Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Rooms To Go Inc., a low- to mid-priced furniture store chain, has rapidly expanded to more than 60 stores since opening…
Meteor Industries Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Meteor Industries Inc.
Footstar, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1996
Footstar, Incorporated is a holding company whose two subsidiaries, Footaction and Meldisco, are leading shoe retailers…
BP p.l.c. →
Defunct · founded 1998 · United Kingdom
Formed by the 1998 merger of British Petroleum Company and Amoco Corporation, BP p.l.c.
Pennzoil-Quaker State Company →
Active · founded 1998
The Pennzoil-Quaker State Company is a leading worldwide automotive consumer products company formed in 1998, through…
Weatherford International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
Houston-based Weatherford International, Inc.
E.On AG →
Active · founded 2000 · Germany
E.On AG is the largest listed power generation company in Europe.
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