Kendrick Oil Company
901 S Main St, Friona, Texas, United States

Since 1951, we at Kendrick Oil Company have proudly built a reputation for quality and service that our customers can rely on. As we look toward the future and the opportunities that are just over the horizon, we are keeping our feet grounded in the accomplishments of the past. In fact, it is the history of our company that is helping to guide the directions we are taking today.

Our roots and foundation

On January 1, 1951 HK (Pudge) Kendrick and his wife Deke bought the local Phillips jobber and created Kendrick Oil. Located just southeast   June 1952 – Original Kendrick Oil Company Delivery Trucks, outside the adobe building  of the Sante Fe grain elevator in Friona, Texas, Pudge drove the delivery trucks and Deke kept the books. In 1954, Kendrick Oil relocated to some old barracks from the Amarillo Air Base. That was an arrangement that worked well until the early 1970’s. Then the couple opened the first Fast Stop Convenience Store which was situated in the old Conoco Station. As the business grew, Pudge and Deke’s son, Danny, joined the company and began working as a delivery driver. Throughout the late ’70’s and early 80’s, the list of jobbers continued to expand, including the Fina brand. By the late 1980’s, Danny had taken over as President of Kenrick Oil and moved the corporate offices to the present location at 824 Main Street in Friona.

Growth and changes

For many years, the company continued to grow and expand. In 1995 a tornado destroyed the old barracks. After realizing that business had changed, the decision was made to build a bulk plant for propane and diesel as well as a warehouse on the site. Today, this new facility provides a quality product for our clients.In 2001, Kendrick Oil was honored for fifty years of work as a jobber by ConocoPhillips. By 2005, the company’s growth was evident and the company decided to purchase the Town and Country stores in Friona and Clovis, NM. Today, there are over 20 Fast Stop Convenience Stores in Eastern New Mexico and the South Plains of Texas.

Another family member joins the team

Continuing in the footsteps of his family, Danny and Pam’s son, Matthew began working for the Fast Stops as a Retail Marketing Manager in 2006. Since then, he’s continued his father’s and grandfather’s path of helping the company expand and grow throughout the region. As part of this, Matthew helped the company expand by selling transport trucks to Petroleum Transport, Inc. based in Lubbock, TX. This sell expanded the wholesale fuel brokering operations into all of San Antonio, New Mexico, Dallas, Houston, and El Paso. By August of 2007, Kendrick Oil was ready for even more expansion and we purchased the Chisum Travel Center in Lubbock from Bolton Oil. This purchase brought our total number of convenience stores to 25.

Looking towards the future

Today, Kendrick Oil Company’s jobbers include Valero, Alon, Phillips 66, CITGO, Shamrock, Conoco, VP & Sinclair. We employ over 200 people in both wholesale and retail operations, and have accounts at over 120 terminals across six states. Our most recent acquisition of Fuel Source in March of 2014 further expanded our wholesale business within the Permian Basin, and also added a travel center to the Hub City Convenience Stores. With our base solid and growing, our company is looking towards the future. We are constantly searching for opportunities to expand our business and the area we service. To that end, there are some exciting things in store for the months and years ahead. We are eager to see our brand continue to expand as our reputation continues to grow.

What are the benefits of signing a fuel contract?

This agreement is good for companies that need a consistent supply of product. Major retailers along major vehicle routes always need a supply of fuel to keep customers happy. Signing a contract ensures a steady supply at a predictable price. This agreement is great for keeping customers happy while making a profit at the same time.  A contract means less time spent shopping for fuel prices. Independent retailers often spend a lot of time calling around to various wholesalers to find the lowest price. These phone calls take up time that could be better spent on other aspects of the business. Having a contract takes all the price shopping out of the equation.  This agreement also guarantees that a retailer gets fuel when supplies are running low. On occasion, refineries and pipelines do go down. That can mean a decrease in available supply. When supply gets scarce, the retailers without a contract scramble to get even a small shipment at an exorbitant price. With a fuel contract, low supply is not a problem. Contract customers are given priority when it comes time to distribute the available supply of fuel.  A fuel contract helps retailers avoid the perils of a price inversion. Price inversions are rare, but can be very costly to retailers. These inversions happen when unbranded supplies go so low that the fuel prices skyrocket. The scarcity of the product drives the price above that of branded or contracted fuels. Having a contract means that a retailer has a steady supply and can still turn a profit during a price inversion.