Fueling Kentucky For 100 Years
By Brian Clark, KPMA Executive Director
Since its founding in 1926, the Kentucky Petroleum Marketers Association (KPMA) remains steadfast in representing an industry with a $7.1 billion impact to Kentucky’s economic engine — empowering the people of this Commonwealth to work and travel, fuel factories and farms, heat homes, support communities in times of need, and drive the engine of progress.
Built on the legacy of Kentucky’s “oil men” who recognized the need to form their own association to “promote businesslike competition among friendly marketers,” KPMA members today own or supply 2,300 fuel retailing businesses, including gas stations and convenience stores, across the state. The association and Kentucky’s fuel industry celebrate a centennial milestone this year of the ongoing importance of this crucial industry and the shared commitment to Kentucky. This anniversary is more than a moment in time; it is symbolic of the constancy and daily reliability of the fuel supply industry as part of Kentucky’s critical infrastructure.
KPMA members, many of whom are generational family run businesses, help fuel the vehicles, businesses, and schools across the state. Tasked as the state’s gas tax collectors, they serve a critical role to the Commonwealth in assuring the revenue income to support the state’s highway infrastructure.
The association and its members also have grown alongside Kentucky’s key agricultural, manufacturing, and transportation industries, fueling progress and prosperity in every corner of our state.
As time has passed, many have forgotten the role the industry plays in assisting to address food deserts, especially in rural areas, where Kentuckians rely on KPMA members’ stores to provide everyday grocery and household items that otherwise would be miles, sometimes towns, away.
“What truly sets KPMA apart is our heritage of family businesses across the state – companies passed from generation to generation, each contributing to the continuity and spirit that define our association,” says KPMA chairman Scott Kiser of Woodford Oil in Ashland. “The relationships forged within KPMA have created a thriving community, extraordinary not only in achievement but also in its commitment to serve our fellow Kentuckians.”
Kiser is one of the 72 individuals in 100 years who has faithfully chaired the KPMA Board of Directors and provided the leadership essential to the organization’s success. KPMA members are often multi-generational businesses, and the leadership of KPMA over the years has reflected the family connection, as nine pairs of father-son business owners have served as chair.
Remarkably, only four individuals have served as executive director for the association in its 100-year history. In 1930, KPMA’s office was housed in room 437 at the historic Brown Hotel in Louisville. In 2012, the KPMA moved to its present location in Lexington when it partnered with Associations International, an association management company, and experienced a new season of growth.
As KPMA marks 100 years, it honors the decades of commitment and innovation from those who came before and the contribution these members made to Kentucky. Their dedication, vision, and resilience built the foundation upon which the industry stands today. KPMA also celebrates the present – the members, staff, and partners whose commitment ensures KPMA remains vital and relevant in a rapidly changing world.
“Fueling Kentucky” is more than a tagline for KPMA. It is a commitment to Kentucky and the people and businesses this critical industry serves each day.
Looking forward, the future is bright and unwavering. KPMA will continue to advocate for the industry, provide educational opportunities, foster innovation, promote stewardship of Kentucky’s resources, strengthen the ties that unite its members within Kentucky and serve as reliable partners to the Commonwealth.
