When you see those bright orange signs with the blue “hughes”, the happy yellow car with the scrubbing bubbles and those big orange tanks situated in ideal locations for bulk fuel, know that this is not just any company. It’s a legacy 70 years in the making. From a small independent service station in 1956 to one of the most recognizable businesses in Edmonton today, offering 25 gas stations, bulk station fuels, waste and recycle bins, fleet services and its signature high pressure wand washes, Hughes Petroleum Ltd. continues to be a driving force in the city it serves.
Named for its founder, William (Bill) Hughes (1901-1985), the business remains family owned and operated and is in it’s fourth generation with Brian Hughes as owner/president, Darren Hughes as vice president of operations and Tomaz Machul as vice president of sales and development.
Innovation has always been at the forefront. After all, a gas station itself has a standard function. To stand out in a competitive industry, one needs an edge. For Brian, it was the addition of a car wash.
When Brian got involved in the family business, it was mandatory to have a service bay to go with the gas station. So, he decided his service bay would be an air pump and hose attached to a barrel of soapy water – basically, a quick car wash. Ideal for muddy days and early spring when bugs needed to be washed off windshields, Brian’s idea was a big hit. Soon, he had cars lined up around the block waiting for their turn at the “car wash.”
The entrepreneur then took it a step further and added a coin counter to keep the car wash efficient. Back in the day, it was a quarter. With the switch to the formalized, high-pressure wand washes across the city, the price went to a Loonie and later spawned their catchphrase “just Loonies a wash.”
Like his father before him, Brian was always good at spotting, and acting on, opportunities. A great example of this is how the corporate fleet services got underway.
The seeds of the corporate fleet account were sewn in 1967 when many local businesses were also getting their start. They needed a reliable gas service for their trucks and approached Brian, who set them up with a corporate account, which was not a known service at that time. This went on to be a huge success for the brand, one that Hughes now has operational with many of Alberta’s biggest fleet operators and municipal partners. Several of those early clients remain in Edmonton, while having expanded to complete projects and business on a global scale.
Success after success has been the hallmark of Hughes, but Brain remains characteristically humble.
“I have always said, treat your suppliers and customers as you want to be treated and have integrity. This is a very simple rule to follow,” he says. “I very fondly remember as a teenager working with my father. He taught me that you need to show up to succeed, and to be part of the business, you must be involved in all the moving parts. His legacy would be for the Hughes family to continue the work ethics he has set in place: be consistent, be honest and ‘enjoy the industry’ as it is a wonderful company to run and evolve.”
What is the biggest challenge to this mission? It’s almost ironic – but it’s the growth trajectory. With so many brilliant minds and businesses in the city, sorting through the many opportunities that could align with Hughes takes time and experience.
Brian explains, “The biggest challenge is all the opportunities that come our way to expand our business. We are always looking at new projects that come across our path for the retail and wholesale divisions, and we have to evaluate each one and determine if it’s a right fit. For a family-run business, sometimes it is a big gamble to take something on, so we have to ensure the future of our investment will prosper. It takes foresight, courage, sacrifice and hard work overseeing sustainable growth.”
It’s a lovely “challenge” to have.
VP Darren adds, “Another advantage of a family-run business like Hughes is that we can make decisions quickly, which is necessary in this ever changing marketplace. That is a virtue that Hughes has, to evaluate and discern what needs to be done, review with the team and cast a verdict. Concise and complete! This also allows our family business to be a professional environment in which everyone has a specific role to continue the success of the brand.”
“Our business strategy is to keep offering our patrons, big and small, the opportunity to use us to assist in their needs. No ask is too great or too small; we will do our best to provide the necessary product,” VP Tommy Machul, agrees. “We also still think it is very valuable to pick up the phone and call, or to go see a new business opportunity. Good old fashion communication works wonders. That is how long lasting relationships are created and stay loyal to each other. Communication and close contact with each other are also advantages of a family-run business.”
Hughes stays on top of all the current innovations for its systems in office and at the stations, as well as providing bulk fuel delivery in a variety of methods for clients’ needs. They evolve as required with technology and ongoing upgrades associated with their business.
“As an example,” Darren says, “in working with the City of Edmonton, we revised some of their internal systems to provide the utmost of service for their contract. Additionally, Edmonton firefighters can count on us anytime to refuel their vehicles and equipment at a moments’ notice. This, in turn, helps to support the community at large.”
Supporting the community has always been a key part of Hughes Petroleum’s identity.
Brian notes, “Being involved in the Edmonton community allows Hughes to give back. Sponsorship of various charities like Festival of Trees, University of Hospital Foundation and No Stone Left Alone continue annually. We sponsor local arenas and outdoor rinks across Edmonton to support the kids and their communities. Also, we advertise with local sports teams to support their venues and support their customers.”
For the family behind the brand, there is a fair amount of pride. To own and run an energy business from inside of Alberta is a synergy that creates far reaching value.
“Hughes has always been in the oil and gas sector from our inception, and will continue. This is our life,” says Brian. “My father would never have settled in Edmonton if it had no oil expansion to offer. Alberta, being an energy powerhouse, offers Hughes the opportunity to succeed. For many years now, Hughes has been providing oil and gas to companies from BC to Ontario, as well as the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.”
When asked about the current “Alberta Advantage,” a catchphrase that originated in the 1990s, Brian and Darren are happy to cite, “No PST, low fuel taxes and our natural resources!”
“All types of business in Alberta will continue to succeed as the province keeps being on the forefront of exporting the sectors of their natural resources; oil, coal, timber, cattle and more. The need is great for the province to continue on the path to expand pipelines to the west coast and to Churchill in Hudson Bay. Getting the product to the world market is important.”
Family values and generational leadership, innovation and provincial pride. Hughes Petroleum has all the pieces of a great success story. However, there is one piece of the puzzle for which ownership takes the greatest care.
“Hughes, as a family-run business, truly supports their own by supplying a healthy and happy work environment. Some staff have been with us for over 30 years,” smiles Brian. “We also support the work program from Winnifred Stewart. We live our core belief: treat the staff the way you want to be treated, and we get it back tenfold, or more in our case! A big thank you to all of our staff who continue with their great work ethic.”
After taking over from his father, Brian ran Hughes Petroleum on his own for a while. Over the years, his vision of business growth has been in tune with the supply and demand of the consumer. At first it was a simpler time on the west end of Edmonton; open a warehouse with bulk oil in drums for fuel sales to farmers and other end users, and open a gas station where he personally pumped gas into a car. He even knocked on the doors of surrounding businesses to let them know he was open.
The next step of growth was to deliver bulk oil in drums to western Canada and open other gas stations with staff. Following, came more growth of corporate accounts, fleet services and more stations around Edmonton. With his ingenuity, he developed and refined the details of the wand wash for cars. Brian just liked a clean car, especially his own, but now he is so glad he shared his invention for all to enjoy.
After reflecting on this past, Brian is ready to lead Hughes far into the future and just like his father, will take great pride in seeing leadership passed down through the next generations. There are plans underway for more growth of gas stations and the orange card for discounts, car washes and touchless washes and for bulk fuel delivery by truck and rail, giving Hughes a successful share of the marketplace.
Brian has a unique inner drive to keep his business at the forefront in the oil and gas industry. He believes in staying steady on what you are doing, not wavering and not getting carried away with trends. Stay true to your brand. He gives sincere thanks to all of the patrons, suppliers, distributors and staff who have been part of their journey through the years.
He concludes, “Our future centres on our continued commitment to our core values of building quality relationships with everyone so we can remain a reliable and sustainable brand.”
Learn more online at hughescarwash.ca.