It all started in an Oil Patch...
Our History
Martin Resource Management Corporation of Kilgore is a leading independent provider of transportation, terminalling, marketing and logistics management services for hydrocarbon products and by-products, chemical and other bulk liquids.
That's quite a statement when you consider its founder, R.S. Martin, Jr., started with a single truck and the simple desire to make a living for his family. Born in Camden Arkansas, Martin graduated from Texarkana Arkansas High School in 1941 and attended the University of Arkansas until volunteering for the Marine Corps in 1943. As a marine, he served in the 4th Marine division in four World War II invasions: Marshall Island, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima.
Returning to the University of Arkansas in 1946, he married Margaret Gerig of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, before graduating in 1948 with a business degree with a specialty in marketing. After two years with Continental Oil Company, he bought out his mother and brother in the ice company in Kilgore, Texas, with borrowed money.
In 1951, on borrowed money again, he started Martin Butane Company, driving the only truck with his wife keeping books and handling the billing. R.S. persevered with his dream of supplying fuel to drilling rigs in the East Texas Oil field.
Today, the company owns over $180 million in assets consisting of a fleet of truck trailers, tank barges, pushboats/tugboats, bulk liquid terminalling locations and other assets to serve its customers. Those customers include many Fortune 500 companies in industries such as petroleum, agriculture, petrochemical and utilities.
Martin, a longtime Texan, couldn't possibly have foreseen the growth his small Martin Gas Corporation would experience. When he retired 35 years after buying that first truck, the company had grown to a company with over 1000 employees and $500 million in sales. Martin died on September 20, 1999, leaving a legacy of entrepreneurship, hard work and determination that remain Martin Resource Management Corporation hallmarks.
On November 6, 2002, Martin Resource Management Corporation sold a portion of its assets in a public offering. Martin Midstream Partners, LP is a publicly held master limited partnership, listed as MMLP on the NASDAQ. The company RS Martin founded 50 years before is the General Partner and majority owner. The founder's leadership and legacy is the guidance and will insure Martin is the investment the stockholders can depend on in the future.
Central Oil Company, Inc. continues to be a strong player in R.S. Martin's vision. With an up-to-date fleet , Central Oil Company, Inc. operates everyday of the week delivering product with the hard work and determination that R.S. Martin founded this company on.
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