Gulf Oil Returns to Its Texas Roots

AUSTIN, Texas -- Who says you can't come home again? Although Gulf Oil LP was born in Texas, the company did not have a single location in the state for more than 20 years -- until now.

Born on a small field called Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas, Gulf has another field to thank, in part, for its return to Texas. But this one is a bit different: a baseball field. Gulf entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington, even though none of its 13,000 gasoline stations were located in the state. The sponsorship began with the Rangers' first game in 2010 and ran until the squad was defeated in the World Series. "Texas is Gulf's birthplace … and we wanted to come home," said Rick Dery, Gulf Oil's senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer.

Despite the successful agreement with the Rangers, Gulf still did not have any gasoline stations in the Lone Star State. However, that's about to change as the petroleum company inked an agreement with MTG Management, now Gulf's first distributor in Texas. Expect to see Gulf Sunrise branding here soon.

"Opening our first service stations in the state where the legend was born is probably the most meaningful event for our company since announcing our national expansion," said Dery. "Texans will see many more iconic orange disks on fuel stations throughout the state in the near future, and we are committed and dedicated to restoring a major presence of the brand in the state."