United Refining Company
{{Short description|American oil company}}
{{Infobox company
|name = United Refining Company
|logo = United Refining logo.png
|type = Private
|foundation = {{start date and age|1902}}
|location = Warren, Pennsylvania, United States
|locations =
|key_people = John Catsimatidis (CEO)
James E. Murphy (CFO)
Myron L. Turfitt (COO)
|area_served = Ohio, Pennsylvania,
and New York
|industry = Oil and natural gas, convenience stores
|products = Petroleum and derived products
|revenue =
|operating_income =
|net_income =
|num_employees =
|parent =
|divisions =
|subsid = Kwik Fill
Country Fair, Inc.
|caption =
|homepage = [http://www.urc.com www.urc.com]
|footnotes =
|intl =
}}
The United Refining Company (URC) is an American oil company in Warren, Pennsylvania. The company operates an oil refinery in Warren that can process 70,000 barrels of crude oil into gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum distillates per day.{{cite news |last=Carroll |first=Jim |title=United Refining hikes capacity |newspaper=Erie Times-News |date=May 10, 2007}} It distributes gasoline under the Kwik Fill and Keystone brands. In early 2019, the American Automobile Association noted that Warren had the most expensive gasoline in Western Pennsylvania, despite the presence of the refinery in the town and a gasoline station just outside the refinery, the root cause of which remains undetermined.{{Cite news|last=Last|first=John|date=29 January 2019|title=Warren Tops the List for Most Expensive Gasoline in Western Pennsylvania|work=Erie News Now|publisher=Lilly Broadcasting|location=Erie, Pennsylvania|url=https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/39872717/warren-tops-the-list-for-most-expensive-gasoline-in-western-pennsylvania|access-date=5 Sep 2020}}
History
The United Refining Company was founded in 1902 by Harry Logan, Sr. His son, Harry Logan, Jr., succeeded his father as president and chairman of United Refining in 1957. In 1986, John Catsimatidis acquired United Refining as a subsidiary of his Red Apple Group.
As of 1935, the company had a pair of marketing subsidiaries, Emblem Oil Company and Red Star Lubrication Service Incorporated, which distributed Keystone Gasoline and Emblem Motor Oils, respectively.{{Cite news|date=29 April 1934|title=United Refining Company Has Effective Display in Warren Nat'l Bank Lobby|volume=35|page=2|work=Warren Times-Mirror|location=Warren, Pennsylvania|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58734103/warren-times-mirror/|via=Newspapers.com}}
The refinery was expanded from {{convert|60000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} to {{convert|65000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} in 1982. It was expanded again to have a processing capacity of {{convert|70000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} in 2007. The employees of the Warren refinery are represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers.
Citgo
URC acquired the rights to use the name Citgo in 2002 when it bought a local gas station and convenience store chain called Country Fair, Inc. in Erie, Pennsylvania which included a license agreement to use "Citgo's brands, trademarks and other forms of identification."{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Jim |title=Warren, Pa.-based United Refining buys convenience store chain Country Fair |newspaper=Erie Times-News |date=January 1, 2002}}
After Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's speech to the United Nations, there were calls to boycott the Citgo brand.{{cite news |last=Carroll |first=Jim |date=October 11, 2006 |title=Comments spark call for Citgo boycott |newspaper=Erie Times-News}} In response, URC began phasing out that brandname, and has been emphasizing that its crude oil supply comes from North America. URC also continued rebranding its product under the Kwik Fill and other local names.{{cite news|title=Citgo signs coming down in response to Venezuelan leader's remarks|publisher=WSTM-TV|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5658105&nav=2aKD|url-status=live|access-date=July 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928152225/http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5658105&nav=2aKD |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}
Convenience stores
File:CountryFair KwikFill 2020-01.pngUnited Refining Company distributes its oil through its line of owned-and-operated convenience stores, totaling approximately 375 throughout upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and Northeast Ohio. The stores operate under the names Kwik Fill, Red Apple, or Country Fair. Many Kwik Fill locations are full-service, meaning they pump your gas for you.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.urc.com United Refining Co. website]
{{Convenience stores in North America}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Warren County, Pennsylvania
Category:Privately held companies based in Pennsylvania
Category:Economy of New York (state)
Category:Economy of the Eastern United States
Category:Oil companies of the United States
Category:Convenience stores of the United States
Category:Non-renewable resource companies established in 1902