McKeown Group Then and Now…
The
evolution of McKeown Group and its two subsidiary companies,
McKeown Petroleum and McKeown Chemicals, is a true Kiwi
success story.
Founded
in 1966 by Bill McKeown and driver Bill Graham, the company
supplies a large portion of the South Island with bulk fuel,
lubricants and associated products. Bill McKeown was Oamaru’s
terminal manager for one of the major fuel companies and
was asked to take the business on as an agency to deliver
fuel to the farming community and small commercial accounts,
as well as on-selling lubricants in the area.
Ken
McKeown, Bill’s son, took over in the mid 1970's.
In the late 1970's and early 1980's the company supplied
fuel to the Waitaki hydro power development scheme. Deregulation
of the industry in 1987 provided McKeown Petroleum with
many opportunities, including a chance to develop their
own retail network of sites. The
company now has operations based in Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru
and Dunedin, runs a modern fleet of truck and trailers as
well as a sales fleet for fuels, lubricants and chemicals.
Despite
continued growth, McKeown Group has never forgotten
the support of its loyal customers and remains focused on
servicing their needs first and foremost. |
