The acquisition of Craft will give PetroChoice the capability and infrastructure to fulfill the specialized needs of lubricant customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, said PetroChoice CEO Shane OKelly.

We are all across the Mid-Atlantic and into the Midwest, Lindsay Bankert, marketing coordinator for Bristol, Pa.-based PetroChoice, told Lube Report. We already distribute ExxonMobil out of our other offices, so it was just a good fit.

Bankert noted that Craft Oils larger product offering was appealing. PetroChoice will now be offering lift systems and Clean Burn heaters in our portfolio, she said. These additional product lines will allow us to better service our existing customers, as well as open doors to new opportunities in the market. Clean Burn produces waste oil heater products that include waste oil furnaces, waste oil boilers, and used oil recycling centers.

Bankert said that Craft Oil has 139 employees.

Established in 1925 and based in Avoca, Pa., Craft Oil Corp. was a privately held company owned by Bob Mills and Maureen Mangan Mills. Bob Mills will assume the role of president of the Mid-Atlantic Division and chief strategy officer of PetroChoice.

Greenbriar Equity Group acquired PetroChoice from KRG Capital Partners in January 2012. PetroChoice has acquired several lubricants distributors over the years, including Tri-County Petroleum in December 2007, Loos and Dilworths automotive division in April 2009, Anderson Lubricants in April 2011 and the assets of Lorenz Lubricant in May 2012.

Distributing packaged and bulk lubricants in the Mid-Atlantic region, PetroChoice serves original equipment manufacturers, off-highway construction, food processing, surface mining, metalworking and passenger automotive industries. It also offers fluid management services.