| |
In
1937, Morris Rachins (1907-1980) was the Office Manager for Lincoln
Oil, a small terminal operation in Everett, MA. With $300, the
aid of his brother Jack and the dream of going into business for himself
Mutual Oil Co., Inc. was founded as a single site gasoline station
at 186 North Montello St. Mr. Rachins, a graduate of Bentley School
of Accounting, incorporated the company in 1942. That same year
he entered the United States Navy as a Boatswain, leaving the affairs
of the company to Jack and his new fiancée, Gertrude.
In 1944, Morris was discharged from the Navy as a 2nd Lieutenant and
resumed working full-time as the gasoline station manager.
Gertrude and Morris were married in 1944. To help make ends
meet, Morris lived in the Brockton YMCA for several months while managing
the station and Gertrude, who in addition to managing the station,
worked as a Secretary for the United States Army. In 1950, they moved
to Brockton and began building the company.
Through the 50’s and 60’s the company grew to approximately
30 sites and entered the home heating oil business. In 1968, Morris
and Gertrude’s son, Edward, joined the company; and in 1970,
their son-in-law, Stephen, also joined. Upon Morris’ death in
1980, Mutual Oil had become the largest gasoline chain based in Southeastern
Massachusetts, with retail operations throughout New England.
During the 80’s two important changes occurred: The company
sold it’s home heating oil business in 1984 and in 1985, recognizing
the opportunities the major oil brands presented, Mutual hired Paul
Labrecque, a 20 year veteran of Mobil Oil, to develop the company’s
branded retail and wholesale businesses. Shortly thereafter
CITGO Petroleum made Mutual Oil a distributor, and in 1986 Mutual
purchased the Texaco distributorship of Granite State Petroleum. Beginning
with these two brands, Mutual was on its way to becoming one of the
most aggressive and rapidly growing wholesale distribution companies
in New England. Over the next two decades Mutual added the following
brands to its list of distributorships: Texaco, Sunoco, Coastal, Gulf,
Shell, Getty, Lukoil, Valero and Mobil.
In March of 2003, 66 years after Morris opened his first station,
the decision was made to exit the retail gasoline business. Today
Mutual is exclusively a wholesale gasoline and diesel distributor
serving independently owned stations throughout New England. Including
its own brand, Mutual, the company has 10 different brands it can
offer customers, making it the company with the most branded choices
available to dealers. The company, now in its 3rd generation
of family involvement and an eye toward the future, is focused on
being a solutions-based resource supplier for all its customers; branded
and unbranded. Additionally, Mutual is highly involved in the
regulatory and legislative arenas lobbying on behalf of its customers
and their best interests both at the state level and in Washington
DC.
Without the distractions of a terminal operation or a retail chain,
Mutual is completely focused on it’s wholesale customers, making
its relationships truly… Mutual. |
|
|
