G.E.C. History


MR. Ray Grace, founder, "formally incorporated in 1952 as Ray Grace Oil, is the founding company for Fastrip Corporation and Simpson-Perry Corporation. Grace Energy's primary product and service is distributing light oil products from the pipelines to our customers. We are the largest gasoline distributor in Southwest Missouri. In 1975, the company opened it's first Fastrip Convenience Store at 301 W. Central in Carthage, Missouri. It was at this location that Ray Grace had begun the company 23 years earlier. Through acquisitions and expansions, Grace Energy now has 40 C-Stores located throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas.

Fastrip and Snak-Atak convenience stores are located as far north as Rich Hill, Missouri, as far east as Marshfield, Missouri, as far south as Springdale, Arkansas, and as far west as Parsons, Kansas. With our location in Miami, Oklahoma, we are truly a regional four-state company. Future projects include the rebuilding of Fastrip 21 in Joplin, and the updating and remodeling of many of our current convenient store locations.

TIME LINE:

1952   GRACE ENERGY CORPORATION, FORMALLY INCORPORATED AS RAY GRACE OIL
1954 -55   GEC OFFICES AT RT. 6, HAWTHORNE DR, CARTHAGE MO
1975   ACQUIRED PIONEER OIL - ADDED TO GEC WAREHOUSE
9-18-75   FIRST FASTRIP CONVENIENCE STORE, 301 CENTRAL, CARTHAGE MO
8-16-76   FASTRIP #2 IN ELDORADO SPRINGS MO
11-13-76   FASTRIP #3 IN LAMAR MO
11-15-77   FASTRIP #4 IN PARSON KS
10-12-78   FASTRIP #5 IN MIAMI OK
9-24-79   FASTRIP #6 IN BAXTER SPRINGS, KS
6-1-80   FASTRIP #8 AT 1904 E 32ND, JOPLIN MO
8-25-80   BOWDEN ACQUISITION - 3 C-STORES = FASTRIP #9 CARL JUNCTION MO, FASTRIP #10 GRANBY MO, AND FASTRIP  #11 NEOSHO MO
1984   UPTOWN LAUNDROMAT # 1, NEOSHO MO
3-25-85   FASTRIP # 12 AT 2115 CONNECTICUT, JOPLIN MO
5-16-85   SNAK -ATAK 2 AT 2002 MAIN ST, JOPLIN MO
1985   UPTOWN LAUNDROMAT #2, CARTHAGE MO
11-19-86   FASTRIP # 15 AT NEVADA MO
7-24-87   SNAK-ATAK 6 AT 310 S SCENIC, SPRINGFIELD MO
7-28-87   SNAK-ATAK 8 AT 1224 W CENTRAL, CARTHAGE MO
5-18-88   FASTRIP # 16 AT 1472 E KEARNEY, SPRINGFIELD MO
11-01-88   FASTRIP # 18 & CSS AT 3950 E 20TH, JOPLIN MO
1-1-90   CROCKETT OIL ACQUISITION - SIMPSON PERRY OIL, JOPLIN MO PLUS 5 C-STORES FT 19, FT 23, FT 24 IN JOPLIN, FT 25 IN BENTONVILLE AR, FT 29 IN  WHEATON MO
8-15-90   PRONTO ACQUISITION - 3 C-STORES = FT 20, FT 21 IN JOPLIN MO, FT 22 IN WEBB CITY, MO
4-23-91   FASTRIP 26 SPRINGDALE AR
JAN 1992   CONVENIENT STORE SERVICES, 1825 INDUSTRIAL DRIVE, CARTHAGE MO
2-13-92   FASTRIP 30 IN MT VERNON MO
11-23-93   FORTNER ACQUISITION - 7 C-STORES = FT 31 JASPER MO,  FT 32 GOLDEN CITY MO, FT 33  RICH HILL MO, FT 34 PITTSBURG KS, SA 16 GRANBY MO, SA 18 CARTHAGE MO, SA 19 LAMAR MO
APR 1994   GEC RESOURCE CENTER AT I 101 INDUSTRIAL DRIVE, CARTHAGE MO
OCT 1995   NEW CAR WASH - REMODEL UPTOWN LAUNDROMAT IN CARTHAGE MO
DEC 1995   TACO BELL EXPRESS, CARL JUNCTION MO
APR 1996   FASTRIP 23 JOPLIN, DESTROYED IN TORNADO
AUG 1996   TACO BELL EXPRESS, ELDORADO SPRINGS MO
SEPT 1996   NEWLY REBUILT FASTRIP 22, WEBB CITY OPENS
NOV 1996   NEWLY REBUILT FASTRIP 23, JOPLIN OPENS
JUNE 1997   FASTRIP 38 AND A & W RESTAURANT, CARTHAGE OPENS
AUG 1997   FASTRIP 37 AND A & W RESTAURANT, BENTONVILLE OPENS

Copyright© 1998, 1999 Grace Energy Corporation
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Last Edited on Friday, April 16, 1999