History

In September 1977, William C. Pepper purchased Nutter D. Marvel Oil Company which was an Amoco Jobbership located in Georgetown, Delaware. At that time the business served Kent and Sussex Counties in Delaware and had seven employees, two tractor trailers, three local delivery trucks. This was the beginning of William C. Pepper, Inc.

 

Mr. Pepper expanded the business with convenience stores and gas stations in Kent and Sussex Counties and then purchased MED Sales located in Rehoboth, Delaware from John Roberts. MED Sales was a plumbing, heating, and air conditioning business which also old fuel oil and kerosene.

 

In 1980, Mr. Pepper expanded in Cambridge, Maryland with the purchase of the former Kayo station located at Rt. 50 in Jacktown, rebranded Gulf. A new convenience store was built with new pumps. Later, in 1982 Granville Hooper Fuel Co. was purchased from the late Barry Murphy who was a Local Gulf Distributor. Mr. Pepper continued to expand with service stations in Ocean City, Maryland and Bethany Beach, Delaware.

 

In 1983 construction began of the largest pumper on the shore, at the time, at Midway in Rehoboth, Delaware. These were Branded Amoco.

 

In the fall of 1986, the expansion took Mr. Pepper to the Easton, Maryland area with the purchase of Russ Oil Co. from Ken Russ. The areas served at that time included Kent and Sussex Counties in Delaware and Queen Anne, Talbot, Caroline and Dorchester Counties in Maryland. This added the Chevron Brand.

 

In 1987, Mr. Pepper changed the name of the business to Pep-Up, Inc. and purchased stations in Millsboro and Fenwick Island. The number of employees had increased to 65. By the fall of 1988, the number of tankers had increased to three, a ten-wheeler truck had been added, and local delivery trucks had increased to 10.

The expansion continued in 1989 with the purchase of Tilghman Ice and Fuel, located in Tilghman Island, Maryland from Russell Harrison. That same year service and installation of heat & air conditioning were added to the Cambridge and Easton areas.

 

In August 1991, Midway Fuel was purchased from Jack Morris and Earl Warrington, a fuel oil distributor in the Rehoboth – Lewes, Delaware area. This was consolidated with the ongoing Rehoboth operation.

 

West Fuel in Salisbury, Maryland, purchased from Doug West, was added in 1992. This made way for the addition of the Pep-Up Credit Cards. This allowed for another 24-hour location, also adding an expanded service area to include Wicomico and Worcester Counties in Maryland.

 

The year 1993 brought the purchase of the Bethany Beach, Delaware station which had been previously leased. It was leveled and a Convenience Store and an Amoco gas pumper were constructed.

 

Passwaters Petroleum in Harrington, Delaware was purchased in January 1996 from Ray Passwaters. He had a fine reputation of 44 years in business selling petroleum products including Unocal Oils and lubricants.

October 1997 brought the entrance into the propane business serving commercial and individual customers. By this time, all of Delaware and Maryland’s eastern shore was being served with eight tractor trailers, two ten wheelers, 11 tank wagons, and two bobtails.

 

March 1998 brought the construction of the first propane bulk facility, in Selbyville, Delaware with 190,000-gallon capacity. A backhoe was purchased in October 1998 for underground tank installations.

 

December 1999 the Dewey Beach Amoco station was purchased from Amoco Oil Co. A new plant was built in 1999 at the East New Market, Maryland Location. Six 60,000-gallon propane tanks were added to this location.

 

In May 2001 expansion led to Pocomoke, Maryland. An office was opened and a plan was purchased from Floyd Energy, Inc. at Oak Hall, Virginia. Plans for a new office in Georgetown, Delaware were developed in December 2001 and a survey of the land was completed.

 

Simpkins Oil Co., Inc. in Princess Anne, Maryland was purchased form Michael Bruce and Kathy Simpkins Beauchamp in September 2002.

 

Site work was started for the new Georgetown, DE office in August 2003. The office was completed on April 9, 2004. A warehouse building was then started, and in August 2004 a new oil plant was set up. 3 – 68,000-gallon capacity tanks were added at the Selbyville propane plant.

 

A new propane plant was set up at Oak Hall, Virginia in June 2005 with 3 – 30,000-gallon storage tanks added to the Route 13 Facility.

 

May 2006 brought the set up of a second plan at Oak Hall, Lacato, Virginia. This is a propane plant with 6 – 30,000-gallon storage tanks. The capability of unloading two (2) rail cars at a time was included at this facility.

In August 2007 the oil plant in Oak Hall, Virginia was updated with 4 fuel storage tanks.

 

The plant at Easton, Maryland was rebuilt in January 2008 and a new tank was installed. At the Harrington plant we rebuilt the tanks and started rebuilding the platform. In August 2008 new concrete pads were poured, etc., at the Easton plant. New tanks were installed in October 2009, Route 50 Cambridge Coastal station.

 

In 2008 pipeline construction of two of the largest developments to date were started: Village at Red Mill in Lewes, Delaware with 550 homes and Millville by the Sea in Millville, Delaware with 3500 homes. Pep-Up is the exclusive supplier of propane to these developments.

 

Additional construction of the Selbyville plant began in 2009. 3 – 60,000 storage tanks were added in addition to 2 rail spurs giving the capability of parking 12 railroad cars and unloading 8 railroad cars at a time.

2011 – Added two 30,000 Propane Storage Tanks in Harrington for more complete services in the area.

August 2013 – purchased Bagwell Gas & Oil in Onancock, VA. With plants and offices in Tasley, Belle Haven, and Cape Charles, VA. This added 3600 customers to our family. Bagwell is one of the largest and oldest distributors of heating oil fuels on the Eastern Shore of VA. In 2005 they added propane to the list of products and services.

 

With this addition we cover the entire Eastern Shore from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (Annapolis, MD.) across to Smyrna, DE. (Kent County, DE) and south to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (Cape Charles, VA.)

 

Over 150 associates of Pep-Up, Inc. offer the following products and services.

In 2014 added propane storage of three 30,000 tanks in Eastville, VA.

Also purchased a new office location in Tasley, VA with storage for new propane tanks and trucks.

 

In 2015 received a permit to install six 29,6000-gallon vertical fuel storage tanks in Belle Haven, VA for a new bulk plant along with a remodel of the office.

 

In February 2016 Pep-Up purchased 2-30.000-gallon propane tanks from the Sussex Correctional Institute in Georgetown Delaware. In May, they were moved to our Belle Haven, Virginia Facility, creating a new full-service bulk plant with both oil and propane storage. In addition, a new 30,000-gallon propane tank was purchased from Quality Welding and Fabrication, to provide service to the new Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Onancock, Virginia.

 

In May of 2017, Pep-Up purchased H.W. Drummond Fuel located in Parksley and Bellehaven Virginia. H.W. Drummond was founded in November of 1959. We have kept all of H.W. Drummond’s employees and welcome them to our Pep-Up family. We look forward to continue serving all of the wonderful customers there. 

 

In May of 2018, Pep-Up purchased a storage facility in Eden from another Propane Company. This will increase our storage capacity, and help us better serve our customers.

 

With 15 present locations on the Delmarva Peninsula, Pep-Up, Inc. is proud and fortunate to serve local, state, and federal government agencies, marina, commercial, agricultural, industrial accounts, as well as many residential households. We are now serving all of Delmarva.

 

The Pepper family is proud to live and work on Delmarva.