Hess

Type: Public
Founded: 1919
Headquarters: New York City
Key people: CEO: John B. Hess
Industry: Oil and Gasoline
Products: Petrochemical
Website: www.hess.com

General Information

The Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) is an integrated oil company based in New York City. The company changed its name from Amerada Hess as of May 8, 2006. The company explores, produces, transports, and refines oil. Vertically completing the logistical chain, over 1,200 filling stations market gas to consumers primarily on the East Coast of the United States. Although towered over in size by enormous global players in the same industry, Hess placed a formidable #126 in the 2006 Fortune 500 rankings.

Trivia

Since 1964, Hess's gas stations have sold a toy truck around Christmas time. Each year, the model changes to a new design. Older models are considered collectibles and typically sell for a few hundred or even thousands of dollars. For example, the 1964 truck sells for about $1,400-2,000, depending on condition. Hess periodically has a rare truck such as the 1995 and 2002 chrome which were given away at a stockholder meeting and, more recently, the 2006 truck given to New York Stock Exchange employees to commemorate its name change from Amerada Hess Corporation to Hess Corporation.

Founder Leon Hess desired a clean look for his filling stations compared to local garages. Thus he chose a color scheme of green and white for them. These colors later became the colors of the New York Jets football team when he acquired them.