Pilot Thomas Logistics Legacy Companies Unite Under PTL Marine Brand

Economy Boat Store and other legacy companies owned by parent company Pilot Thomas Logistics are rebranding under the name PTL Marine.

The rebranding took place July 1. The companies formerly operated 11 facilities under the names Economy Boat Store, General Petroleum, Radcliff/Economy Marine Services, Rainier Petroleum and Maxum Petroleum. One joint venture, Economy/Stone Fuel LLC in Baton Rouge, La., will continue operating under the name of the partnership.

PTL Marine serves the Mississippi River, Gulf and West Coast communities through one-stop shop services and products, including fuels, lubricants, groceries, supplies, liquid terminals and last-mile logistics solutions. The rebranding will allow the facilities to unify under the PTL brand as well as to simplify certain commercial, operational and administrative aspects of the business, said David Reynolds, Pilot Thomas Logistics vice president.

“PTL Marine allows us to more effectively communicate our robust network, offerings and capabilities to serve customers coast to coast,” he said. “Our commitment to serving our customers safely, with exceptional service and the utmost professionalism, remains unchanged.”

No Other Changes

Other than the new name and logo, customers will see no other changes at the facilities and will continue to interact with the same management teams, Reynolds said.

He hopes the renaming will help to build the brand and increase customer awareness of it.

 “In a lot of ways, it’s about a consistency of messaging to our partners,” Reynolds said. “We want them to know that the individuals they may be interacting with in Mobile are actually affiliated with those in Memphis.”

Additionally, he said, managers want to make sure customers have a very similar experience no matter where they are doing business with PTL Marine facilities.

Reynolds stressed the move is reliant on the companies’ decades of experience, including Economy Boat Store’s 85 years in business, while also looking toward the future in meeting customers’ needs for the next 85 years and beyond.

The company has reached out to customers over the past few months to generate feedback and look for improvement opportunities while also taking advantage of technology. One example of that is the decision to begin offering online grocery ordering through its new “Freshop” customer portal.

Reynolds said he looks at the rebranding as a chance to build upon past customer relationships as well as to position the company for new ones, all while offering elevated customer service, a commitment to safety and streamlined communication.

Focus On Service

“I think this is an opportunity for us to increase our focus on service,” Reynolds said. “In some ways it’s a chance to reintroduce ourselves to those customers we’ve had the opportunity to service for a long time.”

PTL Marine will be led by Reynolds and the company’s experienced management team. The headquarters for the division will remain in Memphis, Tenn., and the new brand will feature a modified version of the familiar red droplet logo of PTL, signifying its place in the maritime industry. 

The change involves facilities in Wood River, Ill.; St. Louis; Wickliffe, Ky.; Memphis; Mobile, Ala.; Houston; Los Angeles; Long Beach, Calif.; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle.