Colonial Oil Industries Acquires North Carolina Fuels Company
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Colonial Oil Industries Inc. joined forces with petroleum marketer Peak Energy/Haywood Oil Co, which enables the subsidiary of Colonial Group Inc. to serve more customers in and around the Asheville, N.C., market.
"Both companies are family-based businesses, and we want customers to know that they will continue to receive the same great service they have come to expect," said Chris Ingram, vice president of Colonial Oil Industries. "They will still work with the same people in our organization as they have in the past, and all the products and services they have received previously will remain unchanged."
Peak Energy/Haywood Oil Co. has been serving North Carolina since 1952. The family-owned business has grown to become a large petroleum marketer serving wholesale and home heating fuels.
"At Peak Energy, our focus has always been on improving the quality of life for all of our customers while helping businesses to meet their value goals," said Todd Blevins, president. "We have found a partnership in Colonial Oil that reflects our standards and we are confident that we will continue to meet and exceed customer expectations in the future."
Colonial Oil Industries Inc. is a division of Savannah-based Colonial Group Inc. Colonial Oil Industries is one of the largest independent oil companies in the southeast, having served the region since 1921.
A fourth-generation family-owned business founded in 1921, Colonial Group Inc. is a diversified energy and port-related company headquartered in Savannah and one of America's largest privately held companies. Over the years, the business has diversified to be the umbrella company of convenience store operator Enmarket, Colonial Group's retail division.
Colonial Group named Brett Giesick, who served as president of Enmarket since 2017, as chief operating officer in April.
In July 2021, as Convenience Store News reported, Colonial Group Inc. celebrated 100 years in business by unveiling a historical marker in cooperation with the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) on the site of Colonial's first service station in the Savannah's historic district.
"When my great grandfather, Raymond McAllister Demere, returned to Savannah after serving in World War I, he saw the popularity of the automobile increasing along with the demand for automotive fuel," Christian Demere, Colonial Group's president and CEO. "He purchased a 55-gallon barrel of oil and founded Savannah's first independent wholesale petroleum company on July 21, 1921. Two years later he opened his first service station in Savannah and from there, what would become Colonial Group's diverse family of companies was born out of the growing demand for petroleum products and the evolution that ensued."
Representing the third and fourth generations of the family-owned business, Raymond McAllister Demere, along with his father, Robert H. Demere Jr., chairman; and his brother, Houstoun Demere, vice president of business development for Colonial's Savannah Yacht Center; unveiled the marker. They were joined by State Sen. Ben Watson (R-1st District), Mayor Van Johnson, and W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of GHS.
Colonial Group is also the parent company to Colonial Oil, Colonial Terminals, Colonial Fuel & Lubricant Services, Colonial Energy, Colonial Chemical Solutions, Colonial Towing, Savannah Yacht Center and Aqua Smart.