Diamond Shamrock
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Formerly called
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Diamond Alkali, Shamrock Oil and Gas, and Sigmor |
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| Industry | Oil, gas, chemicals |
| Founded | 1910 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Founders | John Sheerin, TR Evans, Thomas E. Turner |
| Headquarters | San Antonio, Texas |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Website | www |
Diamond Shamrock Corp. or Diamond Shamrock Refining and Marketing was an oil refinery and gas station company in the United States, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.
The origins of Diamond Shamrock can be traced back to three foundation companies: Diamond Alkali, Shamrock Oil and Gas, and Sigmor Corporation.
In 1910 a group of glass manufacturers founded Diamond Alkali in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They wanted the company to produce soda ash, a key ingredient in glass production. A factory was built in Painesville, Ohio, in 1912 to produce soda ash. During the 1920s, TR Evans led Diamond Alkali, which under his leadership became an important chemical producer. After World War II Ray Evans, TR's son, led the company to decentralize its operations. In Deer Park, Houston, Texas, in 1946 a new plant was built to produce Chlorine and Caustic soda. In 1948 the company moved its headquarters from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Ohio. During the 1950s a third plant was constructed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, helping the company continue to enlarge its range of products, expanding to produce plastics and chemicals for agriculture. The 1960s saw continued expansion of Diamond Alkali. A facility was opened in Delaware City, Delaware and additional chemical companies were purchased, including Chemical Process Company of Redwood City, California and the Nopco Chemical Company of New Jersey. In 1967 Diamond Alkali merged with Shamrock Oil and Gas of Amarillo. At the time of the merger the company produced about 20 percent oil and gas and 80 percent chemicals. In 1978 Diamond Shamrock moved its headquarters to Dallas. By 1980 Diamond Shamrock had about 12,400 employees in thirty-seven countries.
John Sheerin founded Shamrock Oil and Gas on August 9, 1929. As a native of Ireland he named the company after the symbol of his country of origin. The company was financed by the Fownes family of Pennsylvania and headquartered in Amarillo. The early years of the company were difficult experiencing a loss of about $9 million. In 1933 Shamrock built its first refinery and its first gas station, both in Sunray, Moore County, Texas. James Harold Dunn joined the company in 1938 as a vice president and general manager, having previously been an engineer at the Lone Star Gas Corporation. The following year Shamrock showed its first, albeit small, profit. During 1939-1940 Lone Star and Shamrock cooperated on the construction of a plat at Murchison in Henderson County whose aim was to recycle natural gas. In 1943 the company paid its first dividend, and by 1944 the company was listed on the NYSE. In 1945 Dunn became the company president, a post he had for ten years. In 1955 CA Cash succeeded him, and in 1959 Shamrock opened its first catalytic cracking unit in Sunray.
In 1960 Shamrock purchased a large number of gas stations from the chain of Sigmor.
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Wikipedia