Pri Mar Petroleum has sold its petroleum marketing and convenience retail business to Blarney Castle Oil Co. and its delivered fuels and lubricants business business to Merle Boes, Inc.
Headquartered in St. Joseph, Mich., Pri Mar operates 13 Pri Mart branded convenience stores and supplies 12 wholesale dealers throughout southwestern Michigan, selling fuels under the BP, Amoco and CITGO brands. The company also delivers commercial fuels, heating oil and lubricants to over 2,000 customers from its three bulk plant facilities.
Pri Mar is a third-generation, family-owned and operated business that was founded by Harry Priebe and his brother in 1928 as a distributor of petroleum products to farm, industrial and home heating customers. In 1972, Harry Priebe’s son-in-law, L. Richard Marzke, took over the company and merged the two surnames together to create Pri Mar Petroleum.
Pri Mar’s first convenience store opened in Stevensville, Mich., in 1976. It was one of the first convenience stores in the area, and the success of this store led to the conversion of other gasoline service stations into convenience stores. L. Richard Marzke’s son, Kurt Marzke, joined Pri Mar as the general manager in 1984 and was soon followed by his brother Craig in 1989, his brother Chris in 1997 and his brother Kevin in 2006.
Today, Pri Mar has grown to service all of southwestern Michigan through its retail stores and fuels distribution network and employs approximately 120 team members. The company remains family-owned under the leadership of Kurt Marzke, CEO; Craig Marzke, executive vice president and chief operating officer; and Kevin Marzke, vice president and chief technology officer.
Full story Pri Mar Exits Convenience Retail Space with Sale to Blarney Castle Oil Co. - CStore Decisions
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