Gerstner Oil Company has recently joined the Growth Energy Market Development team as new members. Family owned and operated by Rudy Gerstner and his wife Kathie, Gerstner Oil was first established in 1976. Gerstner Oil has changed distributors many times since 1979 and today they are branded Valero and Cenex.
Gerstner Oil currently has two convenient stores that it owns and operates, along with a cardtrol and 2 bulk plants. They have a total of 20 employees and 300 customers. Gerstner Oil is a supplier of fuels that has around 22 dealers. They are located at 300 East Highway 50 in Yankton, SD.
According to Rudy Gerstner their primary interest in joining Growth Energy Market Development was because they wanted to be able to take advantage of the technical assistance available, such as the blending economics handouts and other valuable information.
“One of the main reasons we decided to install blender pumps was because we have several dealers that sell E85. We also wanted to take advantage of the South Dakota state incentives for promoting mid level blends, along with selling a local, renewable product that helps support our local farm communities. It felt like now is a good time to take advantage of the opportunity,” noted Gerstner.
Currently Gerstner Oil is in the process of installing a blender pump at a dealer location in Yankton, SD at the Cork and Bottle at 1500 Broadway Street.
According to Gerstner, there are some big obstacles challenging the growth of alternative fuels, E85 and flexible fuel vehicles, “Give consumers what they are looking for, more choices at the pump. It’s important to educate consumers and advertise inventive so that people know about the benefits of alternative fuels.”
