Hunt Refining Company - Company History

Laying the Foundation - 1944

The story of Hunt Refining Company begins with H.L. Hunt and the creation of Hunt Oil Company in 1934. Ten years later, oil was the discovered in the Gilbertown Field in Choctaw County, Alabama. This was the first discovery of oil in the area and another example where Hunt Oil Company continued the tradition of discovering oil in places where others never thought to look.

The next year, Hunt Oil Company began looking for a site to develop a refinery to process oil from the Gilbertown Field. The town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama was chosen for its proximity to road, rail and the Black Warrior River.

The refinery was built, and, in 1946, a 3,500 barrel per day refinery began producing asphalt for Central and West Alabama. The foundation was laid for Hunt Refining Company.

Celebrating 30 Years - 1976

As the Tuscaloosa operation celebrated its 30th anniversary, the refinery was completing a third major expansion. The $20M investment increased capacity to 35,000 barrels per day, doubling diesel production, tripling gasoline production and enabling the refinery to produce sulfur useful to the chemical industry.

Ray Hunt visited the Tuscaloosa refinery in 1976 as president of Hunt Oil for the first time since his father’s death. He presented five employees with service awards congratulating them on 30 years of service with the company. All five of these employees had worked on the construction of the original refinery in 1946.

Expansion Proves Valuable - 1981

In 1981, the Tuscaloosa refinery completed a $60M expansion project designed to utilize surplus capacity in existing facilities and optimize utilization of the total refining facilities. The construction of the delayed coker offered the refinery more flexibility to operate in increasingly unpredictable markets. This enabled the refinery to take heavy, sour crude and by thermal cracking, convert about 80 percent to heavy gas oil and lighter products, and the remainder into petroleum coke.

With the help of the delayed coker, the Tuscaloosa refinery was a successful venture in Hunt Oil’s energy-related areas of operation, at a time when many other refineries were struggling to break even.

New Markets, New Name - 1986

In 1984, Hunt built a 25-mile pipeline connecting the Tuscaloosa facility to the Colonial Pipeline at Moundville, AL. Colonial Pipeline extends from the Texas Gulf Coast to the state of New Jersey. The pipeline connection could now provide fuel oil produced at the Tuscaloosa Refinery to East Coast markets.

In late 1986, under the Hunt family of companies, Hunt Refining Company was launched.

Global Access - 1991

The early 1990s saw an increase of Hunt Refining Company’s throughput to 40,000 barrels per day, as well as importing crude oil from Mexico, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. The success and reputation of the small company was not lost on Saudi Arabia. The 10,000 barrel per day crude supply contract with Hunt Refining Company was the smallest contract for Arab Heavy that Saudi Arabia had awarded at that time.

The increase in crude required additional storage and, in 1991, Hunt Refining Company purchased Mobile Bulk Terminal which owned a 1.3 million barrel storage terminal on Mobile Bay in Alabama. Renamed Alabama Bulk Terminal, the facility gave Hunt Refining Company a secure storage facility base for imported crude oils, as well as a storage outlet for product. This location on the Gulf Coast also created a platform for Hunt Refining Company to market asphalt to south Alabama and northern parts of Florida.

Growth Through Acquisition - 2003

In 2003, Hunt Refining Company acquired Mississippi asphalt refining assets from Southland Oil Company. This included two asphalt refineries located in Sandersville and Lumberton and an asphalt and intermediate products terminal located in Vicksburg. This acquisition was important to strengthen the long-time asphalt position Hunt Refining Company has held in this region and improved the ability to effectively purchase heavy crudes produced in Alabama and Mississippi. The Lumberton location is currently being utilized as a terminal; the acquisition added 10,000 barrels of crude processing capacity per day, over one million barrels of storage and three terminal locations to support customers.

Hunt Refining Company Today - 2012

Hunt Refining Company continues to show an ability to adapt, change and grow in response to changing market conditions and customer demands. In 2010, Hunt Refining Company completed a three-year expansion project of the Tuscaloosa refinery that took its capacity from 52,000 barrels per day to 72,000 barrels per day. As a result of the expansion project, the refinery doubled the amount of gasoline and distillates that it produces and strengthened its capability to process various crude streams.

Hunt Refining Company is privileged to be an integral part of the Hunt family of companies that have business interests spanning the globe in areas of energy, real estate, investments, ranching and infrastructure. The elements that contributed to our early successes still guide us today. We understand the importance of maintaining both flexibility and stability in today's business environment. We take pride in our reputation for honesty and integrity. We are a financially sound, privately held company with a team of highly competent and motivated individuals capable of conducting successful operations. This is made possible by the quality and character of the men and women who comprise our organization.