REDWOOD OIL

Since those early heady days, Peter has grown the business to 23 stations across six northern California counties, with over 300 employees, including his daughter, Julie, who came on in 2004 and is now the President. They have worked together to expand most of the stores' footprints to offer a more eclectic selection of food, drink and general merchandise. They called this new concept Redwood Market... In the early 1970s, Peter Van Alyea took a trip to northern California and decided that he needed to live there. So he quit his job as a sales and marketing manager for Standard Oil in Chicago, emptied his bank account, and headed west with a definitive plan for making his own way.

Also known as: Redwood Oil Company

Primary location: Cloverdale United States