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Aero Energy's History |
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| On October 26, 1929, Aero Oil opened the doors for its office building and first service station, located along Lincoln Way East, New Oxford. The headquarters for Aero Energy remains next to that location today. |
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Incorporated on September 12, 1929, Aero Oil Company opened its office building and first service station in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, on October 26, just three days before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. However, the company survived and prospered. During that first year, the company purchased its first tank truck. The company sold a total of 515,000 gallons during its first year of operation, a goodly portion of which went to farm and commercial accounts. In 1930, Aero built two additional service stations in Hanover and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. These stations were followed quickly by stations in York in 1934, Lancaster in 1936 and Harrisburg in 1937. Also in 1937, Aero Oil Company arrived in Frederick, Maryland. The Maryland branch company name was changed to Blue Ridge, a subsidiary of Aero Oil in 1958. The Friendly Oil Company, also a subsidiary of Aero Oil Company was founded in the mid 1940s in Harve de Grace, Maryland. During the war years, 1941 to 1945, growth was limited to acquiring only farm and commercial accounts as all building was curtailed by the government in support of the war effort. In April 1946, the company actively entered the oil burner and heating plant sales and services field. On June 1 of that year, Aero discontinued its sale of Fleet Wing Petroleum and entered into a sales agreement with Atlantic Refining Company. Also in 1946, the present headquarters, warehouse and service station buildings were constructed along Lincoln Way East in New Oxford, next to the site of Aero's first service station. The business expanded throughout the late 1940s and 1950s with various acquisititions of petroleum marketing businesses within Aero's service territory. During the years 1958 to the present, the company diversified its operations. In the late 1970s, the company started its Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning division and began installing heating and cooling systems in people's homes. In the 1980s, Aero contracted to get into the propane business. In June 1990, the company installed its first 30,000-gallon propane tank and took advantage of the rapid growth of the propane market. |
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In 1996, Aero became a distributor for Blue Rhino bottled gas and began filling and refurbishing cylinders for sale at major retail outlets such as Sears and Lowes home improvement stores. |
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In December 1998 Aero Oil Company was purchased by Adams Utility Services Company (AUSCO), a subsidiary of Adams Electric Cooperative, Inc., based in Gettysburg, PA. The name Aero Energy was adopted in late spring, early summer 1999 to reflect the more complete energy services that Aero provides. Effective January 1, 2001, Aero Energy and Adams Electric announced the formation of a new cooperative alliance with two Maryland Electric Cooperative, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) of Hughesville and Choptank Electrical Cooperative of Denton. The Alliance will allow Aero Energy to expand into the service territories of the two Maryland Cooperatives. The joint investment in Aero Energy's future has created a new entity, Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Services (MACS) LLC, to guide the direction of Aero as it grows and expands its products and services into the Maryland market. Southern Maryland Electric serves 118,000 electric consumers in four southern Maryland counties including all of Charles and St. Mary's counties, all but the northern tip of Calvert Co. and the southern portion of Prince George's County. Choptank Electric Cooperative serves 40,000 electric consumers in parts of all nine counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore stretching from the Bohemia River to the Virginia state line, the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. |
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