About Harris Energy, Inc.
After retiring from the trucking industry, Ralph Harris wanted to do something with his free time he realized from his retirement, so he decided to open his own business. In 1977, he started Cash Oil from his home and one truck. Ralph felt he could provide high customer satisfaction at a fair price. Two years later, he changed the name to Harris Energy, Inc. He purchased the property on Highland Avenue, where Harris Energy ran its daily operations until May of 2016. Over the years, Harris Energy has slowly and steadily grown its customer base to where it is today. The Oil Storage Facility and Delivery System had remained virtually the same as it was in 1977 until the spring of 2000 when Ralph bought his first new oil truck. This provided for faster, more efficient deliveries.
When Ralph was ready to retire again in the summer of 1999, he began looking for a buyer for the business he had built from the ground up. Ralph had opportunities to sell to other larger companies that would close Harris Energy and consume the customer base into its own. Ralph wanted to see his business continue to be locally owned and operated by someone with ties to and pride in the community. In August of 2000, Ralph hired Carroll Lucas to manage the business operations and potentially purchase the business in the future. When Carroll came to Harris Energy, he had been in the oil business for a little over 6 years as a driver and a service technician.
In 2006, Carroll and his wife Kristen purchased Harris Energy from Ralph Harris. Since then, the business has continued to grow its customer base on the same principles that were used to start Cash Oil. Carroll and Kristen purchased their first new oil truck in November of 2006 and have made several other changes to increase the efficiencies of Harris Energy’s day-to-day operations. By providing the highest level of customer satisfaction available at a fair price, they have not lost sight of how Harris Energy got to where it is today.
During the summer of 2008, the oil storage facility was rebuilt to meet the most current federal and state guidelines for above-ground storage facilities. Having a concrete containment spill system coupled with the latest technology of bottom loading trucks and over-fill protection makes Harris Energy one of the safest facilities in the area. In the fall of 2008, Harris Energy began diversifying its fuel and energy products to include alternative fuels, including Wood Pellets, Coal, Geo-Bricks, and Geo-Blocks.
In the spring of 2015, Carroll and Kristen realized that their “little” facility could no longer support their growing business needs, so they began to look into buying a new retail office location for Harris Energy. After months of searching, a property became available on West Main St in Littleton that Carroll and Kristen purchased in the fall of 2015 to turn into the new retail office location for HEI.
This property was once a wooded parcel of land that, rumor has it, was cleared, and the gravel and sand below were used to build Interstate 93. After that, a garage called 2 Brothers Garage was built, which housed several businesses over the years. Many years later, a local businessman named Kim Richey bought the property, built the building that stands on the land today, and moved Kim Richey Auto-Body to West Main St. from its former location. Richey sold his building and property to two brothers who opened A Notch Above Automobile Co. in the early to mid-90s. Carroll and Kristen purchased the property from these brothers. Over the next several months, Carroll, Kristen, family, and close friends worked many long hours remodeling the offices and garage space to meet today’s business needs and the needs for many years to come. The new facility opened for business on May 23, 2016! Harris Energy looks forward to the future!
Contact us today! 603-444-2774
