FORT KENT, Maine — In the 1980s, the management of Daigle Oil Company was looking for a better way to market their company’s proud history of bringing warmth to homes and businesses in one of the country’s coldest places.
The fuel-delivery company’s work stood out from the crowd — but its name was a bit long to fit on the side of a truck. The acronym “DOC” was tossed around and formally launched 1989.
As the company expanded into gas stations, the name DOC followed right along giving the company — and the community — a moniker that’s as efficiently pleasant as the company’s services.
Founded by Guy Daigle in Fort Kent back in 1955 with one fuel truck, DOC has spent the last 60 years building the heating and cooling side of the company while growing and expanding to include car washes, gas stations, and convenient stores, and expanding the types of fuel available from fuel oil and kerosene to propane and biofuel.
Just about 185 employees run the Fort Kent-based business in its 60th year, and the company still places strong emphasis on customer service.
Meeting the demands of the North Maine Woods, the company expanded additionally by establishing metered fuel locations to better serve the forestry industry.
Guy Daigle built his first gasoline station in 1958 on the corner of Fort Kent’s East and West Main streets. He expanded his retail gas and fuel oil business with the purchase of Johnston Oil and Valley Service Station in Madawaska in 1965. At that time he changed his company’s name to Johnston Oil. When he purchased the petroleum division of the Aroostook Federation of Farmers in Presque Isle in 1974, he changed the company name back to Daigle Oil Company.
Through the years, Guy continued to expand his fuel oil business by purchasing smaller companies such as the Presque Isle division of Thompson Oil Company and Davis Oil Company in New Sweden. The company’s retail gas business also continued to grow when Guy built a new fuel office and Gulf station on North Main Street in Presque Isle. The company’s heating oil business expanded through the purchases of Transark Oil Company in Ashland, James Oil Company of Oakfield, Paul’s Heating of Frenchville, Ouellette’s Fuel of Caribou, Porter’s Oil of Island Falls and Worchester Brothers in Lincoln.
Guy retired in 1983, and his son, Rick, picked up right where the company’s founder left off — purchasing Al’s Sunoco in Caribou and completely renovating it to include two shop bays and Maine’s first completely touchless turbo car wash. Company officials noted that it was the grand opening of the Caribou location when a local DJ coined the term “DOC’s Place.”
Today, Rick Daigle manages the company along with Dan Vallancourt, who continues to develop and refine the company’s product line in order to meet a range of energy needs poised by their customers — a range of energy types and locations for that energy.
From the top to bottom of Aroostook County and even down into Penobscot County, DOC is keeping customers warm and mobile no matter how low the mercury drops. DOC’S Place prides itself on providing good old-fashion full — service at each of their stations; a dying practice in most areas.
In addition to the friendly service and smiling faces at eight DOC’s Place motor fuel stations, DOC delivers oil, kerosene, propane, bulk pellets, gasoline and diesel. They also install and service heating and cooling systems, and sell alternative heating options like propane tankless water heaters and pellet boilers.
According to Randy Richards, DOC’s Presque Isle division manger, “Daigle Oil Company was founded on values that placed the customer first, a philosophy that continues to be a daily part of our operations. We are a customer service-driven company with the goal to earn the trust and confidence of our customers while providing quality products and services, being reliable and supporting the communities that we serve.”
DOC’s goal is to fuel vehicles, and to keep customers warm in the winter, cool in the summer and comfortable any time in between.
For additional information about DOC, visit www.DaigleOil.com
