About Us

Royce Kirby began his business career when he enrolled at Southwestern
State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma on a football scholarship. He had two
part time jobs, working at a Texaco station and delivering propane bottles on a
rural route. In 1950 he and his wife, Vallie were married and she was a telephone
operator in Clinton, Oklahoma. They have two children Deborah Hawkins and
Kyle Kirby. They are the present owners of Advance Petroleum. After graduation
in 1952 with a business degree, Royce joined Conoco Oil Company in Waco,
Texas. This was the foundation of what would become 45 years in the
wholesale-retail fuel distribution business in the DFW metroplex. Royce has also
been very active in the Texas Petroleum and C-store Association for the Past 40
years serving as president for the 1998-1999 term. He also received the 2003
TPCA & E. K. Bennett Award.

In 1959, he and his partner B. E. Merrell formed K & M Oil Company with one
self-service station in Irving, Texas. Opening day price was $00.19.9 for regular.
In 1967 the partners started Advance Petroleum. They added full service
branded stations with car wash and lube bays, selling regular and ethyl gasoline.
The 1970's brought a time of change and stations were converted to convenience stores selling fuel. Advance continued to expand adding Automated Fueling Card
Lock locations. In 1993, Royce purchased Advance Petroleum from his partner
and it became a family owned and operated business.

The operation today is now primarily a wholesale distributor of a full line of
petroleum products, selling to dealers and commercial accounts with bobtail
deliveries to small wholesale customers. They have serviced Amtrak daily for 20
years. They also service and maintain all their automated fueling locations with
their own transports, bobtail trucks and drivers. This years sales will exceed
25,000,000 gallons and $60,000,000 dollars in revenue. The sales and
accounting departments still answer phone calls personally during 8 - 5 business
hours.

Advance Petroleum's goal is to give each customer the best service and
products available at a competitive price. If you are one of our customers, Thank
You. If not, please call for a quote today.

Kyle Kirby, President