Doyle’s Fuel Service was started by Jim Doyle in Kenai in 1962. This year we are celebrating the 61st anniversary of fuel delivery services here in Kenai and the surrounding Peninsula communities.
Jim arrived in Alaska from Montana in 1957. Jim’s original destination was Seward but fate stepped in with a flat tire 30 miles outside of Seward in a place called Moose Pass. It was there that he got his tire fixed and a job offer driving a truck for Ed Estes. Jim spent almost 5 years hauling fuel on the peninsula before branching out on his own. The 1960’s were a period of growth for the Kenai Peninsula in large part due to the Swanson River oil fields and the oil platforms being constructed in Cook Inlet. Jim was in on the beginning of the growth and networked his way to start up and grow his own fuel business. When he purchased his first load of fuel oil from Texaco he only had the money to pay for the interest on the loan to buy the load. After a year he was able to buy a second fuel truck and he hired his first of many, long tenured employees. In 1969 with the opening of the Tesoro refinery at Nikiski he was one of the first original dealers to sell Tesoro petroleum products.
As Doyle’s Fuel Service was off the ground and running, Jim had no intention of sitting back and relaxing. He believed that good honest hard work was the creation of a prosperous man and he was driven to succeed. He also found the time and energy to give back to the community he loved and made his home. He was a member of the Kenai Volunteer Fire Dept and he was Assistant Fire Chief for many years. He also held the office of Vice Mayor for 2 years and was on the local emergency planning board. Jim was elected to 2 terms as a Kenai City councilman and spent 2 years on the Borough Assembly.
Jim saw Doyle’s Fuel Service make to its 60th anniversary. At that time it was the oldest business started in Kenai. Today it remains a family business with his daughter Shari and nephew Kevin overseeing the company in the Kenai office. His son Jimmy runs a second business that Jim purchased in 1978, Weaver Brothers Trucking. Through the years a lot has changed, not only in running a business but on the Kenai Peninsula as a whole. One constant during all this change is the dedication to safety and excellent customer service that Jim always strived for and demanded from all who had the pleasure of working for him.
As Doyle’s Fuel Service gets ready to start its 62nd year of operation his family and employees look forward to continuing his legacy of service to his customers throughout Kenai/Soldotna and surrounding area.
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