Taylor Oil Company was started by Roby E. Taylor as a home heating oil business with petroleum products through a Richfield Oil Corporation distributorship in Winston-Salem during 1946.  The company was managed from offices at 110 Oakwood Drive where it resides to this day. During the 1940’s and 1950’s the Company was also building and operating Richfield Oil gasoline service stations in Winston-Salem and Travelers independent gasoline service stations across North Carolina(Richfield Oil Corporation merged with Atlantic Refining Company, creating Atlantic Richfield Company [ARCO] in 1966). During the 1960’s, Taylor changed its petroleum distributorship to ESSO and then later to Phillips 66 but eventually decided to concentrate on marketing through its independent outlets.

In 1960, the Travelers name was changed to ETNA.  In the ensuing years, the brand grew to over 70 locations adding truck diesel, home kerosene, convenience foods and car wash operations. In February 1999, the ETNA store operations were sold to The Pantry of Sanford, NC.  Under The Pantry’s ownership most stores have been re-branded to Kangaroo.

In the 1950’s, Mr. Taylor started a petroleum terminal company in Wilmington, NC with some close business friends and called it Riverside Terminal Company. In 1963, the Company sold its interest in the Riverside Terminal Company.  A few years later the Company built a new petroleum terminal in Greensboro, NC - Triad Terminal Company.  In 1980, the Company built its second terminal in Selma, NC. In June 2000, terminal operations were merged with Charter Terminals and Charter-Triad Terminals, LLC was formed.  After expanding into a nine terminal operation the business was sold to Kinder Morgan in November 2004.

In June 1999, ACCEL Marketing, LLC was formed to build and operate new convenience stores with a large gasoline offering.  The first store opened its doors in July 2000. In April 2010, the ACCEL chain was acquired by Couche-Tard, better known as Circle K.

In March 2004, Taylor Development Group, LLC was formed to finance residential real estate developments.  Two Winston-Salem in-fill projects are Highland Park, a luxury townhouse community and Arbor Place, an upscale cluster housing neighborhood.

Current business activities now include residential real estate development, commercial real estate management and private equity investing. Management is proud of the employees’ hard work expanding operations and profitably managing the company into its fourth generation of family ownership.

For a list of our businesses and detailed information of each one, please visit the Partners page.

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