Gary and Annette Christensen sold all their belongings to buy R.E. Powell Distributing, a small Mobil fuel and lubricant distributor. They raised their five boys in a small one-bedroom home beside the truck lot, lubricant warehouse, main office, and cardlock in Grandview, Washington. Each morning, the revving of fuel truck engines served as the unmistakable signal that it was time for the boys to head off to school.

Eager to support local businesses, Christensen acquired Bissell Distributing (Yakima, WA), McCall Oil (Pasco, WA), and secured one of the first Pac Pride franchisees in the US. Texaco took notice and recruited Christensen to sell their quality fuel and lubricants. The eldest sons, Tony and Brandon spent high school weekends painting Texaco stations. Dove grey and vermillion red are still their favorite colors.

Christensen grew the team, service area, and offerings by acquiring General Transport Company and gaining approval to become a marketer of Shell, BP, and Tesoro products. While Tony Christensen recruited friends to ensure Shell stations were looking sharp, Justin Christensen (third in line) picked up a paintbrush and got familiar with BP’s colors. They can’t remember which brother painted the Tesoro stations.

Happy customers motivated further expansion. Christensen acquired Leid-Ford Distributing (Walla Walla, WA) and became an approved marketer of 76 and Chevron. The Puget Sound Business Journal recognized Christensen among the Largest 20 Private Companies in WA State and The University of Washington awarded Christensen “Business of the Year”. Accepting the award, Brandon Christensen remarked, “It’s about time someone noticed how nice all those gas stations look.”

Christensen broke into Western Washington, acquiring Seaport Petroleum (Seattle). Travis Paulson, whose family-owned Seaport at the time, continues to lead the Western WA team as a Regional Director. Under Paulson’s leadership, key acquisitions were made that included Don Thomas Petroleum (Portland, OR), Glenn Distributor (Wenatchee, WA), Shultz Distributing (Western WA), and key assets from Shell Lubricants/ Pennzoil and 4Refuel. Four decades of acquisitions later, all companies were branded to the Christensen style you see today. The cherry on top: Seattle Business Magazine welcomed us with a “Silver” Family Business Award.

In the new decade, Christensen made significant strides with acquisitions in Bellingham, WA (Yorkston Oil), Boise and Twin Falls, ID (United Oil), and Arizona (Southwest Fuel Supply Contracts). Decades of consistent growth earned us two awards: Tri-City Regional Chamber’s ‘Business on a Roll’ and a spot-on Inc. 5000’s Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. Quinten Christensen may not have painted gas stations, but his tech team’s behind-the-scenes work for many years secured our Phillips 66 Innovation Award for technological advancements. Big moves, big wins, and big things to come.