COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 5541

Gasoline Service Stations

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

24companies1920–1986founding years22still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedPetroFina S.A.FoundedPetroFina S.A.
1920
FoundedCrown Central Petroleum Corporation
1923
FoundedTexaco Inc.FoundedTexaco Inc.
1926
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedGranada Group PLC
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedFINA, Inc.FoundedFINA, Inc.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedCumberland Farms, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedCasey's General Stores, Inc.FoundedCasey's General Stores, Inc.
1967
FoundedFlying J Inc.
1968
FoundedRed Apple Group, Inc.FoundedRed Apple Group, Inc.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedTravel Ports of America, Inc.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
FoundedUni-Marts, Inc.FoundedUni-Marts, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedE-Z Serve Corporation
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1989
EnvironmentThe Exxon Valdez spill reshapes energy and shipping rules.
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.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
EnvironmentThe Deepwater Horizon spill triggers sweeping energy rules.
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

PetroFina S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1920 · Belgium
PetroFina S.A., Belgium's largest corporation, is the 15th largest publicly traded integrated oil and gas company in…
PetroFina S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1920 · Belgium
PetroFina S.A., Belgium's largest corporation, is the 15th largest publicly traded integrated oil and gas company in…
Crown Central Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1923 · United States
Crown Central Petroleum Corporation is an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products, including…
Crown Central Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1923 · United States
Crown Central Petroleum Corporation is an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products, including…
Texaco Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Texaco is one of the world's largest oil companies, with exploratory, manufacturing, and marketing operations across…
Texaco Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Texaco is one of the world's largest oil companies, with exploratory, manufacturing, and marketing operations across…
Granada Group PLC →
Active · founded 1934 · United Kingdom
Granada Group PLC is a leading U.K.
Granada Group PLC →
Active · founded 1934 · United Kingdom
Granada Group PLC is a leading U.K.
FINA, Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
FINA, Inc.
FINA, Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
FINA, Inc.
Cumberland Farms, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Founded in 1938 as a one-cow dairy farm, Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Cumberland Farms, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Founded in 1938 as a one-cow dairy farm, Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Casey's General Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Casey's General Stores, Inc.
Casey's General Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Casey's General Stores, Inc.
Flying J Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Flying J Inc.
Flying J Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Flying J Inc.
Red Apple Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Under the names Gristede's, Sloan's, and Red Apple, Red Apple Group, Inc., wholly owned by John A.
Red Apple Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Under the names Gristede's, Sloan's, and Red Apple, Red Apple Group, Inc., wholly owned by John A.
Travel Ports of America, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Travel Ports of America, Inc., operates around-the-clock, full-service travel plazas that provide customers with motor…
Travel Ports of America, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Travel Ports of America, Inc., operates around-the-clock, full-service travel plazas that provide customers with motor…
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.
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.
E-Z Serve Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
As the seventh largest convenience store operator in the United States, E-Z Serve Corporation owns and operates 737…
E-Z Serve Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
As the seventh largest convenience store operator in the United States, E-Z Serve Corporation owns and operates 737…
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