SERVING THE AREA FOR
A
mericans use roughly 400 million
gallons of gasoline per day,
according to the U.S. Energy
Information Administration. We used about
142.86 billion gallons in 2018. That gas
powers everything from vehicles to farming
equipment to generators.
Quality Oil and Gas Company, a fixture in
the local community for the past 75 years,
distributes gasoline and other resources
around the region.
What started as a home heating oil supplier
became a large company that operates in
three divisions: gas, propane and lubricants.
Quality Oil now operates four locations
Rockingham, Laurinburg, Lumberton and
Wadesboro.
The company’s clientele includes 70
convenience stores in North Carolina
and South Carolina, and 8,000 propane
customers. Quality Oil distributes well-
known brands such as BP/Amoco, Shell,
Gulf and Liberty. The company also
distributes Total Lubricants products.
A variety of acquisitions and mergers
have helped Quality Oil expand ever since
its inception in 1945. One of the most
recent acquisitions was the purchase of
Wadesboro-based Huntley Oil and Gas
22 • PROGRESS 2020
75 YEARS
Company.
“We’re always looking for strategic
acquisitions,” said Gene McLaurin, the
company’s president since 2007.
McLaurin, former mayor of Rockingham
and North Carolina state senator, previously
served as general manager of Total
Lubricants for over 25 years. The idea of
returning to his hometown of Rockingham
drew McLaurin to his current post at
Quality Oil.
“We’re optimistic about the future,” he said.
“There are great opportunities for growth.”
There are also plenty of opportunities to
stay involved with the local community,
and that’s something the company takes
pride in. They support several community
organizations; many photos and thank-you
notes from those organizations adorn the
walls of Quality Oil’s offices.
That community involvement stays strong
when disasters strike. Quality Oil is at the
front of the line to provide resources when
they’re needed most.
“We pride ourselves on giving back,”
McLaurin said. “We’re the type of company
that responds when emergencies arise.”
“The community knows we’re dependable,”
said Jimmy McDonald, Quality Oil’s
manager of environmental compliance and
information systems.
Quality Oil employs around 40 people, and
many of them are long-term employees.
One of those employees is administrative
manager Ann Pruitt, who has been with the
company for 46 years.
Those employees have come to understand
Quality Oil’s dedication to quality customer
service. The company uses a “proactive”
approach in order to make sure its
customers’ needs are met.
“We’re prepared for current customer
service demands,” McDonald said.
Quality Oil’s parent company is Z.V. Pate
Inc., which is based in Laurel Hill. Z.V. Pate
also operated Scottish Food Systems and
Southeast Farm Equipment.
Quality Oil does business under the name
Swink-Quality Oil and Gas Company.
More information about the company
can be found online at qualityoilandgas.
com. The phone number for Quality Oil’s
headquarters in Rockingham is 910-997-
3101.