Y6 SUNDAY,NOVEMBER 1, 2009 2ND AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR
indystar. com/50years Profiles of businesses that have been around 50 yearsor more
CountryMa rk is afixture on theIndiana landscape
By John S chwarb ForCustomPublications
In CountryMark’searly incarnationasa
cooperative,itwa saprovider of agricultural
goods and services.
But as farmers’ needs evolved, so the wake of changing global markets
did the company. In the early 20th and aweak petroleum market.
century, CountryMark entere dthe CountryMark respon ded by adapting
petroleum market as anecessityfor to market conditions and putting
its members. itself in apositiontobenefit from
Farmers w ereunabletofind and today’sstronger m arket for fuels.
purchase qualitylubricant products Amongits most important moves
at afair price,an dtheir e xpenses werenew investments in its refinery
consequentlyballooned. In 1930, operations, improving safetyand
the average farmtractor engine had operational efficiency. Today, the
only afi ve-year l ifespan b ecause of company’s refinery in Mount Vernon,
poor lubricants. Notsurprisingly, the Ind., processes approximately26,000
cooperativetookactionand began barrels of crude oil dailyresulting
producing its ownlubricants. in atotalof380 milliongallons of
“The good thing about the co-op premium gasoline and diesel fuel
was that it was trustworthy ,and annually. CountyMark
byits people caredabout doing the The beneficiaries aren’t just
right thing and taking care of their farmers. CountryMarkfuels an
providedcustomers,” said C harlie Smith, estimated 65 to 70 percent o f
CountryMarkpresident and CEO. Indiana farmers’ machinery, but Photos
“The co-op was partofthe fabric of also half of the state’s school buses. CountryMark has been an innovator in bringing alternative fuels to market.
ruralIndiana. It’sthat cultureand Companyproducts a re sold t o19
sense of responsibilitythat helped branded cooperativeswho then retail
formwhat we are today. the fuel at CountryMarkstations a nd willensurethe c ontinued growthEye to the future ■ Today, 100 percentof
CountryMarkgasoline is a“Inthe future, w ewillcontinue deliver the fuel directlytoend u sers. of environmentall yfriendly andCountryMarkisIndiana’s largest
blend of 10 percent ethanol.blender of biodiesel, with nearlyto refine those f ounding values for The system includes 90 retail fuel renewable resourc es, expanding on
three decades inv ested in thethe benefit of ourmember owners, stations, 180 petroleum tank wagons that promise made decades agoto ■ CountryMarkhas 13 E85
development of the renewable fuel pumps throughout the state.customers and employees.” and numerous semi-trucktransports. deliver the fuel industry’shighest
blend.The majori ty of the company ’sAs for today, CountryMark CountryMarkpurchases crude oil performing products and services. ■ CountryMarkisst riving to
gasoline and diesel fuels sold are find the next generationofcontinues to serv eits constituents from an estimated 40,000 individual
renewable blends, whichreduces Clean, green fuels renewable diesel fuels.●and its communities, providing landowners/intere st holders
dependencyonforeign oil and
high-qualitygasoline,diesel fuel throughout the Illinois Basin (which CountryMarkisrecognizedextends the life of American crude
oil. CountryMarkisrecognizedand lubricants andreturning profits includes southern Indiana, southern nationwide as aleader in biofuels Quick facts
nationally as aleader and innovatorto the farmcommunities it serves Illinois and westernKentucky), distribution.
in bringing alternativefuels tothrough patronage distributions, contributing an e stimated $800 ■ In 2003, CountryMarkbecame CountryMark Cooperative
market.according to its unique cooperative milliontothe regional economy in the first companyinthe nation Address: 225 S. East St., Ste.
business model. 2007. CountryMark employs 350 The companycontinues to reinvest 144, Indianapolisto introduce meteredblending
Phone: (800) 808-3170people,mostlyin southernIndiana, and grow,including an increase of of biodiesel at a fuel terminal.
Website: www.countrymark.comStrength and support contributing an a dditional $30 its commitment to alternativefuels. ■ Today, 80 percent of
Founded: 1919Adecade ago, regional U.S. millioninwages and benefits to the It’s exploring options in other facets CountryMarkdiesel fuel is a
President/CEO: Charlie Smithbiodiesel blend.cooperatives faceddifficult times in state’s economy. of Midwesternagriculturethat
Time line Afew wordsfrom CharlieSmith
1919: The Indiana Federation
of Farmers’Associations,
CountryMark’sforerunner,is CountryMarkPresident and CEO Charlie
organized. Smith is aCrown Point nativewho joined the
1926: Indiana Farm
Bureau Federation board of oil industryasanengineer and signed on at
directors votes t oreorganize
and separate its purchasing CountryMarkabout six years ago. He explains
department and reincorporate it
under the Co-operative Act. CountryMark’sheritage and the value this
1930: Name of newentity Indiana companydelivers to the American
officially is changed to Indiana
Farm Bureau Co-operative economy.
Association.
1936: The cooperative We’reone of the smaller oil economy.Every step of the way, from
purchases its first fleet of
refiners in the U.S. Ourrefinery the wellhead to the customer tank,petroleum transporttrucks.
processes about 2 6,500 barrels of oil we contribute positivelytoIndiana’s1940: CountryMark’srefinery
aday,about afifth of the avera ge- economy.is built in Mount Vernon, Ind.,
after agusher well is discovered Charlie Smith, CountryMark president and CEOsizeAmerican refinery. But those
in PoseyCounty.Work also barrels come from oil wells not We buycrude
begins on agathering system so far away, across what’s known “
and pipeline. oilfrom40,000as the Illinois Basin —about 10 theyand their neighbors would have expenditureofenergy. We added a
1991: Farm Bureau percent from Indiana, 10 percent landowners areliable source of qualityfuels newvacuum tower and improved
Cooperative formally becomes from Kentucky and 80 percent from and lubricants.That cooperative the ways we recoverheat throughout
CountryMark Cooperative. locatedin
Illinois.That’s kind of whereGod spirit and desirefor greater fuel the refining process. We’resimplya2003: At its Jolietville, Ind., Indiana, Illinois
laid it alldown. value drives us as hardtodayasit moreenergy-efficient refinerythanterminal, CountryMark becomes
We put our stake in the ground andKentucky. did in 1926.That value proposition we weretwo years ago.the first company in the U.S. to
introduce metered blending of on American-made fuel. It’s what of reliable supplyand exceptionalThat’s good
biodiesel at afuel terminal. LoyaltoAmerican Energymakes us unique in the marketplace. qualityisinour DNA.forthose rural
Everything we do positively We believe in American energy2007: An estimated 90
percent of Indiana’sbiodiesel Agrowing playerimpacts the communities where economiestothe and our abilityasacountrytoderive
blended fuel is blended at a we do business. We buy crude oil As we looktothe future, investing moreofour energyfrom domestictune of about
CountryMark fuel terminal. from 40,000 landowners located in our coreassets is critical to the sources. Ourcompanyhad been$800 million
2008: CountryMark expands in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. long-termsuccess of our Indiana involvedindrilling for oil prior to
its refinery.Output is increased That’s good for those rural company. This past year,weput the the 1970s, then we gotout of thatperyear.
by an additional 45 million —Charlie Smitheconomies to the tune of about finishing touches on a$20 million business to focus on refining.Two”
gallons of fuel per year.
$800 millionper year. expansionofour Mount Vernon years ago, we looked at newdrilling
Ourrefineryalso is based herein refinery. The project added about technologyand the potential of the
Indiana. We hireAmerican workers, 12 percent to our refining capacity, Illinois Basin and made the decision
Midwest work ethicand that adds about $30 million and it’s allowing our companyto to bring some of the best drilling
to the economy in southwestern Being afarmer-owned cooperative pump an extra45milliongallons of technologyfrom around the world
Indiana. is aunique trait of our refineryas American-made fuel into the local to the Illinois Basin. We’vebeen
Lastly, we refine and deliver to well.Thereare 150 oil refineries market. pleased with our decision.The new
the public 100 percent American- in the United States, and three of Possiblythe most exciting wells aremeeting our production
made gasoline and diesel fuel, which those arefarmer-owned. It’s agreat component of that expansionisthat expectations and, as result, our
reduces dependencyonforeign American success story. Indiana we areable to achieve the additional regionhas moreAmerican-made
oil and strengthens the American farmers came together to ensure output without anyadditional fuel than we had before.●
Looking ahead
CountryMark is Indiana’sonly American-owned oil refining and marketing company,and
it’srecognized nationwide as aleader in the distribution of biodiesel and ethanol.The
company,still afarmer-owned cooperative, owns and operates 500 miles of crude-oil
gathering pipeline, arefinery in North Vernon and a238-mile finished-fuel pipeline.The
company also operates fuel distribution terminals in North Vernon, Switz City,Jolietville
and Peru, Ind., as well as Henderson, Ky.
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