Rogers Petroleum Services, Inc

The present Rogers Petroleum Services, Inc., was founded on January 1, 1932, By T. E. Rogers. T.E Rogers was selected as a Commission Agent for Standard Oil Company of Kentucky. At that time, he and his brother, T. T. Rogers, were operating both a Standard Oil Service Station and Chevrolet dealership in Pikeville, Kentucky. They continued to operate both entities, but T.E. sold his interest in the service station and focused his attention to securing customers for his new venture. In twelve months of being in business T.E. had not shown a profit. Thinking of quitting He made a trip to Louisville to meet with Standard Oil. After the meeting T.E. decided to stick it out. In his thirteenth month he turned a profit of thirteen cents. Things were going well for T.E. In 1950 T.E.s oldest son Ernest came back from an eighteen month stint in the military and two years at the University of Kentucky. An explosion and fire in November of 1950 destroyed the McAndrews Plant and seriously injured the fellow who was the commission agent at that time. We were employed to take over his deliveries until such time as he could recover. All deliveries had to be made from Pikeville, which in itself, due to roads and conditions, turned out to be a huge problem. Off road conditions were impossible and on road deliveries were dependent of daily road conditions. By spring, it was evident the agent could not return to active duty and T.E. and Ernest purchased his equipment and added McAndrews to their responsibility. This more than doubled the size of their agency and introduced them to several large industrial accounts, some of whom were already purchasing Standard Oil products. The McAndrews Plant was rebuilt and it is still a functional unit in our overall business scheme. In 1962 T.E. retired and turned Rogers Petroleum over to his sons Ernie and Jimmie Rogers. An acquisition in 1974 converted the old Allen territory into Rogers Petroleums area of responsibility and had both gasoline customers, natural gas pumping stations, and surface mines. This pointed us more toward the industrial side and helped our profit picture considerably. It also gave us the gallonage to operate tractor-trailers and meter our deliveries of gasoline. In 1977 Ernest bought out his brothers share of the family business and went into partnership with his son Jim Rogers. In 1978, an additional bulk plant was built on Tollage Creek in Pikeville KY. This new plant represented the largest bulk plant Chevron had ever built for a Commission Agent. April 1st, 1982 the Rogers Commission Agency became a jobbership. In 1987 Rogers Petroleum was recongnized as Chevrons Largest individual distributor nationwide. Today Rogers Petroleum is still owned and operated as a partnership of Ernie Rogers and his son Jim Rogers. Currently Rogers Petroleum employees twenty-five people including some fourth generation Rogers in key management positions