Kendall Motor Oil History
From a Tiny Enterprise to a Grand LEGACY
The Kendall Motor Oil Company has spent the last 135 years cementing itself as a top dog in the lubricants industry. Yet, the Kendall brand almost never made it out of the 1910s. The determination of a few ambitious pioneers were all that stood between failure and the American Dream; triumphing over disasters, oil tycoons, and a meager, four-acre plot of land in Northwestern Pennsylvania, the founders of the Kendall brand succeeded against all odds.
1875
The JACKSON WALKER WELL was drilled in 1875 in BRADFORD, Pennsylvania.
Three entrepreneurs by the names of Eli Loomis, William Willis, and Robert Childs witnessed the Jackson Walker Well’s violent eruption, and felt so inclined to turn that ancient black slime into a fresh mint.
1881
By 1881, they had officially funded and founded Bradford’s first refinery: a business-deal that has kept the oil town prospering for over a century. Naturally, the technology, the machinery, etc., it has but all been replaced – yet, The Bradford Oil Refinery, which still employs nearly 300 Bradfordians, remains the oldest functioning petroleum refinery in the world.
Why not Bradford Motor Oil?
Actually, the company name is derived from what was likely the three men’s favorite fishing spot, Kendall Creek, which runs right through the town of Bradford. And though their beguiling name stuck – and their efforts resulted in Bradford becoming the top oil-distributing town in the United States in 1881 – it turned out that their business endeavors didn’t quite take them to the pinnacle of American enterprise. In less than three years, the business had fallen apart, and the three men had to find other sources of income. The reasons for the collapse have always provoked some speculation.
BRADFORD, PA — PUBDOG, PUBLIC
DOMAIN, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
1902
The End of Kendall Motor Oil?
An oil tycoon named Lewis Emery led a campaign to sue Kendall’s three founders – even after they had declared bankruptcy – fundamentally ensuring the collapse of the Kendall brand. This man was the owner of the Emery Manufacturing Company, funded several years after the fall of the original Kendall Refining Company.
In 1902, with Emery’s company booming and the fate of the Kendall Refinery hanging in limbo, the Penn Lubricating Co. purchased the dilapidated refinery. Shortly after, a businessman and Bradford resident named Otto Koch proved to be the saving grace of the Kendall brand. Koch, a key stockholder of the Penn Lubricating Co., was chosen to manage the refinery. In respect to the original owners, Koch decided to keep the name.
The Reinvention of the company brand
Koch was dealt a blow within the first year of his management. An oil tank spontaneously caught fire, due to what historians presume to be a single lightning bolt that managed to penetrate its walls.
Nearly the entire refinery was destroyed in the flames. Koch saw opportunity in the disaster, shortly thereafter investing in new equipment, solid brick buildings, and, ultimately, a new chance at success.
1913
The Incredible Efforts of a Small Team
Koch’s efforts (and, frankly, quite a lot of his cash) resulted in an economic boom for Bradford. The oil town grew exponentially: several years before Henry Ford released his Model T. Koch employed five men in his new refinery. Alongside these men, Koch’s business grew and grew, never losing sight of the original founders of the business.
Years later, following the incorporation of Koch’s growing company in 1913, Kendall Refining Company became the first producer of motor oil to extend oil change intervals from the average 500 miles, to the greatly improved 2000 miles. It was a massive achievement for the company. Koch represented this achievement with a new symbol: a hand holding up the number two. It has remained the symbol of Kendall quality to this day.
1935
The good guys win.
Remember Lewis Emery, the man who tried to destroy Kendall Motor Oil? Well, due to Koch’s business savvy, he was finally able to buy out his competitor, Emery Manufacturing Company, around fifty years after Emery’s initial attempt to sabotage the Kendall brand.
Well, wave your fist, sir:Kendall Motor Oils ain’t going nowhere.
AN AMIABLE OTTO KOCH IN 1918.
Today
Committed to Quality and Service
Today, the Kendall brand remains synonymous with quality. Every product available on this website is guaranteed to meet or exceed the specifications stated by Phillips 66 and to be free from defects.
Our goal at KendallMotorOils.com is to provide a service that matches that standard of quality: fast shipping coast-to-coast from our Northeastern Pennsylvania headquarters and a dedicated customer service team that is ready to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
KendallMotorOils.com continues Petroleum Service Company’s 40+ year history with the Kendall brand. As such, we are honored to be the official online, US distributor of Kendall products.