Thurston County residents can celebrate along with Acme Fuel this spring at the grand opening of their new fueling station in downtown Olympia at 303 Thurston Ave. Although the celebration won’t happen until May, the station itself has been open to the public since mid-December, just in time for the coldest winter on record since 1978.
Throughout the summer and fall months, customers have been diverting to the station on Lilly Rd. while waiting for what was originally scheduled to be a mid-October opening. “It kept getting pushed back, but we finally got it open,” says General Manager Todd Deck. The new station features an additional island and offers six different grades of gasoline. Those who prefer ethanol-free fuel now have regular unleaded, mid-grade, and premium options, while E-10 buyers also have all three choices. Previously, Acme offered only three grades of fuel: ethanol-free regular unleaded, ethanol-free premium unleaded and E-10 regular unleaded.
The station also carries on-road and off-road diesel and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) for diesel cars and trucks built after 2011. “DEF is sold right out of one of the pumps and it will save you a lot of money compared to buying it in 2 ½ gallon jugs at the store,” says Deck. Off-road diesel is used in tractors, construction equipment and generators, and is dyed red to distinguish it from on-road diesel. “It doesn’t have the road taxes added into it, so it’s less expensive than on-road clear diesel.”
Anyone can use the fueling station as it is open to the public. Acme customers save ten cents per gallon by using their fuel cards, while non-customers can use their credit or debit cards and pay just a bit more. A Fast Fuel Card is easy to get, too. Just stop into the office located at 416 State Ave NE to fill out an application and start saving.
Few stations in the region offer ethanol-free fuel, something that becomes more important during the spring and summer months. “It’s great for yard equipment,” says Deck. “You’ll want to use it for your lawn mowers, weed eaters and lawn equipment in general.”
The boating community also uses ethanol-free gas, along with motorcycle riders who are more likely to be on the road during the warmer seasons. “It’s much friendlier on motorcycles than the E-10 blends are,” Deck maintains. “It’s better for use in generators, also, as you don’t want E10 gasoline sitting idle in your generator tank.”
Generators have gotten a workout this winter which has seen the lowest temperatures in more than 35 years around the South Sound. “Our drivers have been working long hours and putting in some overtime,” he says. “We have had some customers run out of fuel and we needed to make sure everybody could heat their homes. We’ve been able to take care of everybody.”
Compared to the previous year, Acme’s volume of deliveries increased 20% in December and January due to the cold weather. “Our drivers have done a great job,” says Deck. “We did have one truck that got stuck and we had to get a tow-truck to pull it out. It happens. But, for the miles that we put in, having only one truck get stuck tells me that we’ve got a great driving staff. They’re experienced and well-trained and they know what they’re doing out there.”
While the clear cold days didn’t pose too much of a problem for drivers, the snow was another story. However, since all of them having driven in snow before they were able to navigate their way to most homes. “They know the houses they can go to and the ones that they can’t because of steep driveways or hills,” says Deck of his local staff.
When the snow finally cleared, the rain started and flooding became an issue around the county, but not for Acme drivers. “That doesn’t affect us nearly as much as snow and ice, because it’s only in certain areas,” he says. “We can still operate in a lot of other places before we have to worry about getting through flood water.”
Aside from multiple inches of moisture, our wild weather brought the company a swath of new customers whose regular providers were unable to deliver. “We offer great pricing and great service,” says Deck. “We find a way to get out there and get them taken care of so that they can have heat, and then we look forward to being able to deliver to them for many years to come.”
Those customers, along with the community at large, are invited to the grand opening this spring. “We’ll do a big barbecue and everybody can come and visit the station, fill up your cars and gas cans, have a hot dog and meet everybody,” says Deck. “It will be open to the public.”
For more information about Acme Fuel, visit www.acmefuel.com or call 360-943-1133.
