Severson Oil Sells Stores to Sinclair

WINONA, Wis. -- Green dinosaurs are coming to several Severson Oil gas stations in this area, as the company recently sold five stores to Sinclair Oil Corp., the Winona Daily News reported. The stores are in Lake City, Winona and Rochester, Wis.

Severson Oil, located here, plans to retain its La Crosse, Wis., station, and will continue selling Mileage-branded gasoline. Severson Oil's owner, Tom Severson, told the paper he felt his stores needed more marketing support than his company could provide.

The company had planned in May to switch the stations' gasoline brand to Mileage after ConocoPhillips stopped supplying fuel in Minnesota, the report stated. After reviewing his options, though, Severson decided to sell his stations to Sinclair because of its family legacy and private ownership.

"They're really nice people, and they should fit in well with Winona," Severson told the newspaper. "The primary reason I chose these people is because they respect their employees and they will continue to offer employment to my employees."

While the sale price was not disclosed, the deal is expected to be completed on Aug. 1. Sinclair Oil, operator of more than 2,600 stations, plans to hire all 50 employees who currently work at the Severson stations.

"We're excited. Severson has great people," Larry Rogers, Sinclair's retail marketing manager, told the paper. "We will start painting and replacing the Conoco logos next week, but the people inside the store will be the same."

As part of the agreement, Severson Oil will transport Sinclair gasoline, and continue to offer propane, lubricants, home heating, trucking, commercial, farm and industrial services. "This will help us enhance the services that we perform for all our customers and give us more time to work for them and appreciate their business," Severson said.

Sinclair will bring the company's credit-card services, car wash discounts and competitive prices to the Severson Oil locations, according to Rogers. The company's signature green dinosaur also will appear at stations.

"You will be seeing dinosaurs," he said. "The dinosaur is back."

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