Idaho company buys Kennewick-based fuel distributor

An Idaho-based fuel distributor has bought Wondrack Distributors of Kennewick, a move the buyer said will allow it to expand the area it serves and create efficiencies.

Coleman Oil Co. closed on the acquisition Saturday, said a news release. The company will acquire Wondrack’s 16 cardlock facilities and two bulk plants, stretching from the Lower Yakima Valley to the Tri-Cities and Hermiston.

“Combining these two work teams will ensure we have a company with unmatched product offerings and services for our customers,” President and CEO Bob Coleman said in the release.

It’s unclear how many of Wondrack’s more than 50 employees will stay with the company and whether the Wondrack name will continue to be used at the Mid-Columbia facilities. Messages left with officials at both companies were not returned Monday.

Joe and Carol Wondrack founded the the Kennewick company in 1973 after buying it from energy company Chevron, according to Wondrack Distributors’ website. The company initially distributed Chevron products wholesale and retail throughout the Tri-Cities.

The company grew to serve much of Northeast Oregon, the Lower Yakima Valley and the Columbia Basin and became part of the CFN fuel network.

Wondrack was distributing more than 40 million gallons of fuel annually in recent years. Company officials also are involved in the business community and other community efforts.

Joe Wondrack died in 2009 at age 72. Mark Wondrack, his son, was the company’s recent president and CEO.

Coleman has its headquarters in Lewiston and has done business since 1953. The company defines its service area Washington and Idaho, along with northern Oregon. The company’s closest asset to the Mid-Columbia is a bulk plant in Dayton, and Wondrack’s properties will give Coleman a presence in the region and put the company closer to its distribution area in Oregon.

Port of Pasco commissioners are scheduled to discuss the lease for Wondrack’s facility at the corner of Ainsworth Street and Oregon Avenue and its transfer to Coleman Oil at their Aug. 6 board meeting.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Idaho company buys Kennewick-based fuel distributor."