Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/464194
31 Oil Prophets Board Members in May 2002. Tripp began work as a ¿QDQFLDODQDO\VWLQYHVWPHQWDGYLVRU for Morgan Stanley, but soon realized that the role was not for him. He and Lesley moved back to Alabama later that same year, and he started working full-time in the family business. Tripp and Lesley now have two daughters: Leigh is 8, and Libby is 4. Travel is a shared family passion, and the family also loves to attend University of Alabama athletic programs. On a rare day off, Tripp also likes to hunt and also play golf. Tripp realized early on that he wanted to be the boss, not work for the boss. After several successful years with Powell Petroleum, he negotiated a buy-out with his father in 2009. He states, "I was raised in the business, and it's really all I ever wanted to do. My dad's entrepreneurial spirit runs strong in me, and being in business for myself was always a goal." Sadly, his father passed away in March of 2014, literally working until 2 days before his death from cancer. His mother, a co-founder of Powell Petroleum, was active in the bookkeeping side of the business and in helping to train the Powell children in the family business. Powell Petroleum is still a family business with Tripp at the helm and his sister Catherine as Vice- President and head bookkeeper. Powell Petroleum's goals are certainly growth-related but not at a rapid rate. As Tripp says, "We like to see growth as every other business does, but we also set benchmarks for community involvement as well." Ideally, they would like to be known locally as the neighborhood market, so they tailor the business to those neighborhoods and grow with them. The Powell family has been involved with P&CMA for as far back as Tripp can remember. He recalls going to meetings of the Alabama Oilmen's Association with his dad. Tripp's personal awareness of P&CMA began with the ability to call Dean Mooty for guidance. When Dean called to ask Tripp to serve on P&CMA's board, he jumped at the opportunity. He says "The more I heard, I knew I couldn't stay away. I believe in giving back and Tripp Powell Kuykendall and Powell Oil Co. Tuscaloosa, AL Tripp Powell was born into the petroleum business. His family started in the wholesale fuel business in the late 1950s, and his father expanded the family business into the retail side in 1978. Powell Petroleum currently has 11 unbranded outlets under its own name, 6 of which are owner- operated as Buddy's Food Mart. Powell Petroleum is also a wholesale fuel jobber. Tripp remembers his father, Buddy taking him to work every Saturday morning from the time he was 5 or 6. Buddy used the opportunity to teach him not only how to treat people, but also to learn all areas of the business. By age 12, Tripp was changing lightbulbs, painting the curbs, and removing water from fuel tanks. At 15 he was working on gas pumps and before graduation was working on the point-of-sales system (expanding on his computer interests that began at DQHDUO\DJH In 1998, Tripp graduated from Central High School in Tuscaloosa. He was a walk-on for the Crimson Tide football team from 1998-2000. While at Alabama he attended the Alabama at Oxford program in the UK and met Lesley at a café. After graduating with a BS in business management, he moved to Newport Beach, California, to be near Lesley, and they married helping those who help you." Tripp's goal is to help members understand they have a voice on the board. "As unbranded jobbers, with no support from a brand, we need someone to go to bat for us." He also appreciates the insight into the legislative side of our industry. Without that insight, understanding the regulations that govern the LQGXVWU\ZRXOGEHLQ¿QLWHO\KDUGHU Tripp has set his own goals for Association involvement in 2015. He wants to continue to learn the industry from the inside out, and to provide a voice for small-scale (particularly IDPLO\RZQHGMREEHUV³:HRIWHQIHHO left out of the discussion, because we are localized and don't have a P&L with a 'wow' factor. But, we also make up a large portion of the market. I'd like to help those types of jobbers understand that their place in the market is important and necessary, and provide insight to the association from their standpoint." For Tripp, Involvement with P&CMA means "even though I am a small business and a small jobber, I still have a voice in the matters that affect my business. Like-minded people with similar goals can become loud quickly when livelihoods are at stake, and I'm glad to be a part of that singular voice." We are pleased to welcome Tripp to our Board for 2015-2016. continued on next page