On Thursday, September 23, 2010 EthanolRetailer.com featured Brabham Oil Company in its Member Spotlight.

The following is that article in its entirety:

Brabham Oil Co., Inc recently renewed its membership within Growth Energy Market Development. They are a 3rd generation fuel marketer that began business in 1929. Brabham Oil was founded by the late Clarence Brabham and taken over by the late Robert McCully in the 1960’s. In 1962, the business was incorporated, with Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Brabham as President and Vice-President.

In 1970, Brabham retired and McCully assumed managing control of the company. In the 1980's, the business added British Petroleum, Shell, and Chevron as primary wholesale suppliers. In the late 1980's, the company added McCully's sons, Robert McCully, Jr. and Clarence B. (Brab) McCully to the management team. Under this family management through the 1990's, the company grew the E-Z Shop chain of convenience stores to be one of the largest and most recognized chains in S.C.

At the turn of the century, the company realized a need for a private label gasoline brand to compete in the marketplace and to meet a growing value oriented customer base. The Horizon brand was developed to meet this need, and has grown to serving over 30 locations across South Carolina today. Brabham Oil Company, Inc. owns all rights to the Horizon brand developing it for use at its own EZ Shop locations, as well as customer locations it supplies.

Brabham Oil Company, Inc. is currently managed by Clarence B. (Brab) McCully and has grown into a 28 store chain and wholesale marketer predominantly operating in the lower half of South Carolina.

“It only makes sense to create jobs here by selling greener alternative fuels grown here instead of imported from other countries,” noted Brab McCully. “We pride ourselves in bringing into South Carolina fuels made in America and providing an alternative to the consumer. We sell E10 at all of our facilities. We were the first to introduce E85 in the lower part of our state and are proudly the leading marketer of this product in our market. We feel the pressure from Big Oil attempting to thwart our efforts to promote E85 and ethanol in general. It is refreshing to be marketing renewable fuels and helping South Carolina and the U.S.A. become more energy independent.”

The company’s primary interest in joining Growth Energy Market Development was to have a unified voice in the industry. McCully went on, “Any alternatives to Big Oil’s existing slate of petroleum products must not be controlled by them. They have no interest in promoting E85 and only sell ethanol because they have to, in order to complete with it. We rail in our own ethanol and blend it outside the gasoline terminals to provide the most competitive price to the end consumer. South Carolina has proudly passed a law stating the gasoline terminals can't pre-blend ethanol without also offering an unblended product. This prevents Big Oil from being able to dictate where they get the ethanol from and what they charge the consumer for it. This law has vastly increased competition and thereby benefited the motorists in our state. I am in favor of stepping up efforts to increase consumer's awareness of the benefits of using E85 instead of traditional fuels. I am not in favor of reducing the excise tax incentive for ethanol as without it we could not have grown to where we are today.”

He added, “We have to be able to compete and as you know it is not Big Oil growing E85 pumps and other alternative fuels. Independent distributors around the country such as ourselves are the reason for its growth. Help the ones that want to sell it and don't force it on the ones that don't.”

A Winning Team

Brabham Oil Company and their 28 EZ-Shop convenience stores joined forces with the American Cancer Society and raised a total of $12,465.00 for the 2010 'Relay For Life' events.

CEO/President of Brabham Oil Clarence (Brab) McCully presented
Lisa Hartzog of the American Cancer Society with the check.

Brabham Oil Company Inc., Reaches A Unique Milestone...80 Years

In 1929, C. M. Brabham opened a small wholesale petroleum business as a reseller for Colonial Oil Company of Savannah, Georgia. Since 1970, under the direction of Clarence (Brab) McCully, the company has seen continued growth, with 28 convenience stores (The E-Z Shop) and the development of their own private label gasoline brand (Horizon). As of December 2009, Brabham Oil Company, Inc., celebrated its 80th year in business. The plaque, President of Brabham Oil, Clarence McCully and his mother Ginger McCully are holding reads:

In recognition of 80 years of service and loyalty helping to make Brabham Oil Company Incorporated,
"The Best of the Best" 1929-2009.

Brabham Oil sees great results from simple safety practices in a single year.

In March 2007, Brabham Oil took a hard look at their balance sheet. Their 28 South Carolina E-Z Shop convenience stores were all running at full speed thanks to nearly 400 employees. The E-Z Shops were clean, well managed, and offered up coffee, sandwiches and services worth driving for. However, workplace injuries were rising, and management wanted a cure.

The Problem

Brabham's store employees were experiencing the strains, slips and falls common to the retail industry—but at a high rate of nearly 38 percent of their total claims. This was especially concerning because the prior year, Brabham's E-Z Shop stores had racked up 18 claims at a price tag of more than $50,000 in medical and indemnity (lost wages) costs alone. The company's workers' comp rates were clearly on the rise, and HR Manager Teresa Hannibal needed answers. "We had just switched to our new workers' comp company—through Summit—when I was tapped to ramp up our safety programs and results. Our insurance agent, Logan Doty with BB&T Boyle Vaughn, told me that Summit had incredible safety programs that could be customized for our needs."

The Solution

"It was great," Barry states. "Like many folks, Brabham employees thought that tennis shoes are slip resistant, but they're really not. The engineering of a safety work shoe is different from athletic shoes because they have different purposes. Put the wrong shoes on slippery floors, and the problem becomes huge. I explained these safety items, and presented several shoe styles and price options to encourage participation. In addition, we looked at what happens to store entrances when it rains and how important it is to keep those areas dry at all times. Safety starts with simply realizing potential hazards, and then encouraging people to notice and act on prevention."

Next, Summit Back2Work Coordinator Chip Green helped Teresa set up a return-to-work program, which included management training workshops to explain the procedures and benefits of Back2Work. Chip also helped identify examples of possible light duty tasks in the stores. Brabham employees who get injured are now able to come to work in a modified capacity until they are completely healed. In the long run, it's a double bonus—Brabham Oil's medical and indemnity costs should drop because injured workers can get back to work quickly, and morale gets a boost because employees know that their company cares.

Results

Summit helped Brabham develop safety programs and procedures that have dramatically reduced workplace injuries and raised safety awareness. A year into the Summit/Brabham Oil partnership, workplace injuries are down 55 percent, and the cost of lost wages dropped a whopping 99 percent! In fact, last year Brabham had just seven claims at a total-cost of only $80 in lost wages (down from $23,700 the prior year). Moreover, a dramatically lower loss ratio should, in time, contribute to a lower mod—and lower workers' compensation premiums.

Safety Management Requires a Partnership

In the retail industry, slip-and-fall accidents are the most common cause of workplace injuries. A Summit loss control consultant recognized and recommended several simple steps to help create a culture of safety throughout Brabham's organization—and the company and its employees made it happen. Thanks to an ongoing series of safety meetings and classes, Brabham Oil staff better understand safety procedures, such as rainwater removal, fire hazards, safety mats and fall prevention. And the company has a solid return-to-work program in place. Teresa Hannibal is succinct in her explanation, "This is a partnership that works. Our agent sent me to Summit, and they stepped up to the plate with logical and simple safety strategies that are making a difference for Brabham. We are committed to safety excellence, and Summit is committed to us." Agent Logan Doty agrees, "I place clients with Summit because they actually look at each insured company to see what is needed, and then they provide it. Summit makes workers' comp feel like a benefit instead of a cost."

Summit CompPress - August, 2009