Citgo: Difference between revisions

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→‎The Boston Citgo sign: Insane number of citation tags, never mind the one about Minute Maid Park (go to the freaking article and *look at the photo*).
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==The Boston Citgo sign==
==The Boston Citgo sign==

{{undue|date=December 2014}}
[[Image:Citgo boston.jpg|thumb|left|The Citgo sign, as seen from Lansdowne St., Boston]]
[[Image:Citgo boston.jpg|thumb|left|The Citgo sign, as seen from Lansdowne St., Boston]]


Citgo refers to its logo as the "trimark". A large, double-faced sign featuring this logo overlooks [[Fenway Park]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]] and has become a landmark, partly because of its appearance in the background in televised [[baseball]] games.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} The current sixty-foot-square sign, unveiled in March 2005 after a six-month restoration project, is illuminated by thousands of [[light-emitting diodes]] (LEDs); this means of illumination was chosen for its durability, energy efficiency, intensity, and ease of maintenance.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} (Earlier versions of the sign were illuminated by [[neon lighting]]; the previous sign contained some 5,878 glass tubes with a total length of over five miles.)<ref>"[http://www.citgo.com/WebOther/AboutCITGO/CITGOSignPressRelease.pdf]." Citgo. Retrieved on March 17, 2015.</ref> The sign sits atop the campus bookstore of [[Boston University]].
Citgo refers to its logo as the "trimark". A large, double-faced sign featuring this logo overlooks [[Fenway Park]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]] and has become a landmark, partly because of its appearance in the background in televised [[baseball]] games. The current sixty-foot-square sign, unveiled in March 2005 after a six-month restoration project, is illuminated by thousands of [[light-emitting diodes]] (LEDs). (Earlier versions of the sign were illuminated by [[neon lighting]]; the previous sign contained some 5,878 glass tubes with a total length of over five miles.)<ref>"[http://www.citgo.com/WebOther/AboutCITGO/CITGOSignPressRelease.pdf]." Citgo. Retrieved on March 17, 2015.</ref> The sign sits atop the campus bookstore of [[Boston University]].

The first sign featuring the Cities Service{{clarify|date=May 2013}} green-and-white [[trefoil]] logo was built in 1940, and was replaced with the trimark in 1965. In 1979 Governor [[Edward J. King]] ordered the sign turned off as an example of [[energy conservation]]. Four years later, Citgo attempted to disassemble the weather-beaten sign, and was surprised to be met with widespread public affection for the sign and protest at its threatened removal. The Boston Landmarks Commission ordered its disassembly postponed while the issue was debated. While never formally declared a landmark, it was refurbished and relit by Citgo in 1983 and has remained in operation ever since. Rising next to Boston's Fenway Park, the sign has been nicknamed "See It Go"—especially when a home run is hit during a Red Sox game.<ref>"[http://www.bostonspastime.com/citgo.html]" BostonsPastime.com website|Retrieved on March 17, 2015.</ref>

The shut-off and refurbishing was marked by a loss of functional versatility. The earlier sign had a seemingly endless set of variations in appearance, while the current one runs through a much shorter routine.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

The sign was highlighted in the [[short film]] ''Go, Go Citgo'' and the movie ''[[Field of Dreams]]''. It was also featured in a 1983 ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine photograph feature, as well as a 1987 animated film as [[Kenmore Square]]'s "neon god".{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} The association with Fenway and the [[Boston Red Sox]] is so strong that some local [[Little League Baseball|Little League]] fields often are decorated with replicas of the Citgo sign, as is [[Hadlock Field]] in [[Portland, Maine]], home of the [[Boston Red Sox]]' AA affiliate [[Portland Sea Dogs]]. Citgo installed a similar (albeit smaller) sign high on the glass wall above left field in [[Minute Maid Park]], the home of the [[Houston Astros]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} In 2007, the [[Houston Astros|Astros']] AA affiliate, the [[Corpus Christi Hooks]], installed a 50-foot replica of the Boston sign in their ballpark, [[Whataburger Field]].<ref>{{Cite news| last = White| first = Heather Ann| title = Hooks team gets its own landmark Citgo sign| work = Corpus Christi Caller-Times| accessdate = 2011-04-11| date = 2007-04-29| url = http://www.caller.com/news/2007/apr/29/hooks-team-gets-its-own-landmark-citgo-sign/}}</ref>

Some{{Who|date=May 2013}} in the United States have become uncomfortable with the prominence of this symbol because the company is closely associated with Venezuelan former president [[Hugo Chavez]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/22/boston_pol_takes_aim_at_citgo_sign_after_devil_comment/ | title=Boston pol takes aim at Citgo sign after 'devil' comment - Boston.com}} {{Dead link|date=August 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>


The first sign featuring the Cities Service green-and-white [[trefoil]] logo was built in 1940, and was replaced with the trimark in 1965. In 1979 Governor [[Edward J. King]] ordered the sign turned off as an example of [[energy conservation]]. Four years later, Citgo attempted to disassemble the weather-beaten sign, and was surprised to be met with widespread public affection for the sign and protest at its threatened removal. The Boston Landmarks Commission ordered its disassembly postponed while the issue was debated. While never formally declared a landmark, it was refurbished and relit by Citgo in 1983 and has remained in operation ever since. Rising next to Boston's Fenway Park, the sign has been nicknamed "See It Go"—especially when a home run is hit during a Red Sox game.<ref>"[http://www.bostonspastime.com/citgo.html]" BostonsPastime.com website|Retrieved on March 17, 2015.</ref>
On October 15, 2008 the Citgo Sign caught fire, causing about $5,000 in damage.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/10/omen_citgo_sign.html | work=[[The Boston Globe]] | title=Omen? Citgo sign burns in small fire | date=October 15, 2008}}</ref>


The sign was highlighted in the [[short film]] ''Go, Go Citgo'' and the movie ''[[Field of Dreams]]''. It was also featured in a 1983 ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine photograph feature, as well as a 1987 animated film as [[Kenmore Square]]'s "neon god".{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} The association with Fenway and the [[Boston Red Sox]] is so strong that some local [[Little League Baseball|Little League]] fields often are decorated with replicas of the Citgo sign, as is [[Hadlock Field]] in [[Portland, Maine]], home of the [[Boston Red Sox]]' AA affiliate [[Portland Sea Dogs]]. Citgo installed a similar (albeit smaller) sign high on the glass wall above left field in [[Minute Maid Park]], the home of the [[Houston Astros]]. In 2007, the [[Houston Astros|Astros']] AA affiliate, the [[Corpus Christi Hooks]], installed a 50-foot replica of the Boston sign in their ballpark, [[Whataburger Field]].<ref>{{Cite news| last = White| first = Heather Ann| title = Hooks team gets its own landmark Citgo sign| work = Corpus Christi Caller-Times| accessdate = 2011-04-11| date = 2007-04-29| url = http://www.caller.com/news/2007/apr/29/hooks-team-gets-its-own-landmark-citgo-sign/}}</ref>
On July 22, 2010, it was announced that the sign was to be turned off the next day to allow for repairs and replacement of its LED lights as the style of bulb used on the sign since 2005 is no longer made. The sign was shut off until September 17, 2010, when it was turned on during the seventh inning stretch of the Boston Red Sox game against the [[Toronto Blue Jays]]. The refurbishment was timed to celebrate Citgo's 100-year anniversary.<ref>{{Cite news| title = Citgo sign in Kenmore Sq. to get makeover| work = WHDH-TV| accessdate = 2011-04-11| date = 2010-07-22| url = http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12001748844149/citgo-sign-in-kenmore-sq-to-get-makeover/}}</ref>


==Headquarters==
==Headquarters==

Revision as of 15:03, 21 May 2015

Citgo Petroleum Corporation
Websitewww.citgo.com

Citgo Petroleum Corporation (or Citgo) is an American refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of

Energy Corridor area of Houston, Texas
.

History

Cities Service period

Cities Service station in Key West, Florida, in 1965.

The company traces its heritage back to the early 1900s and an oil entrepreneur named Henry Latham Doherty.[3] After quickly climbing the ladder of success in the manufactured gas and electric utility world, Doherty in 1910 created his own organization, Cities Service Company, to supply gas and electricity to small public utilities. He began by acquiring gas producing properties in the mid-continent and southwest.

The company then developed a

Chicago, Illinois
.

A logical step in the company's program for finding and developing supplies of natural gas was its entry into the oil business. This move was marked by major discoveries at Augusta, Kansas, in 1914, and in El Dorado a year later. In 1928, a Cities Service subsidiary, Empire Oil & Refining,[4] discovered the Oklahoma City field, one of the world's largest. Another participated in the discovery of the East Texas field, which, in its time, was the most sensational on the globe.

Over three decades, the company sponsored the

Tulsa
.

At the height of Cities Service's growth, Congress passed the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, which forced the company to divest itself of either its utility operations or its oil and gas holdings. In a difficult decision, Cities Service elected to remain in the petroleum business. The first steps to liquidate investments in its public utilities were taken in 1943 and affected over 250 different utility corporations.

At the same time, the government was nearing completion of a major refinery at Rose Bluff just outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana, that would eventually become the foundation of the company's manufacturing operation. Using designs developed by Cities Service and the Kellogg Co., the plant was dedicated only 18 months after the first concrete was poured. A month before Allied troops landed in France, it was turning out enough critically needed 100-octane aviation gasoline to fuel 1,000 daily bomber sorties from England to Germany. Government funding through the Defense Plant Corporation (DPC) also prompted Cities Service to build plants to manufacture butadiene, used to make synthetic rubber, and toluene, a fuel octane booster and solvent.

Gas station in Bergen, NY

The years that followed saw Cities Service grow into a fully diversified oil and gas company with operations around the world. Its green, expanding circle marketing logo became a familiar sight across much of the nation. During this time CEOs such as W. Alton Jones and Burl S. Watson ran the company and commanded nationwide attention among journalists, wherever they traveled or whenever they spoke on matters pertaining to the petroleum industry.

Cities Service Company first inaugurated use of the Citgo brand in 1965 (officially styled "CITGO") for its refining, marketing and retail petroleum businesses (which became known internally as the RMT Division, for Refining, Marketing and Transportation). CITGO continued to be only a trademark, and not a company name, until the 1983 sale of what had been the RMT Division of Cities Service to Southland Corporation.

1982–1983: Demise of Cities Service and birth of Citgo Petroleum Corporation

In 1982, T. Boone Pickens, founder of Mesa Petroleum, offered to buy Cities Service Company. Citgo responded by offering to buy Mesa, which was the first use of what became known as the "Pac-Man defense" take-over defense; i.e., a counter-tender offer initiated by a takeover target. Cities Service also threatened to dissolve itself by incremental sales rather than being taken over by Mesa, stating that it believed that the pieces would sell for more than Pickens was offering for the whole. Cities Service Company located what they thought would be a "white knight" to give them a better deal and entered into a merger agreement with Gulf Oil Corporation. Late in the summer of 1982, Gulf Oil terminated the merger agreement claiming that Cities Service's reserve estimates were over-stated. Over fifteen years of litigation resulted. (For a more detailed discussion of the Cities Service vs. Gulf Oil litigation, see Gulf Oil#Demise.) Ironically, two years later, Gulf Oil itself would collapse as a result of a Pickens-initiated takeover attempt.

In the chaos that ensued after Gulf Oil's termination of its deal, Cities Service eventually entered into a merger agreement with, and was acquired by,

Southland Corporation, original owners of the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores
.

Sale to Petróleos de Venezuela and later history

A locally owned CITGO station in Chicago with the new street image.

Fifty percent of Citgo was sold to

Petróleos de Venezuela in 1986, which acquired the remainder in 1990, resulting in the current ownership structure.[5]

During the 2000s, Citgo faced several legal actions over the operation of its Corpus Christi, Texas oil refinery. In 2007, it was convicted of a violation of the Clean Air Act for operating an oil-water separator without proper pollution-control equipment. It was found not guilty of a charge of emitting illegal levels of benzene into the environment.[6][7] In 2009, a fire at the alkylation unit of the same plant resulted in the release of toxic hydrofluoric acid and the injury of two workers, one with severe burns.[8][9][10] In February 2011, the company was fined over $300,000 for the incident.[11]

In October 2010,

Hugo Chavez announced the intention to have Petróleos de Venezuela sell its Citgo subsidiary calling it a "bad business" and citing low profits since 2006. The minimum sale price was set at 10 billion US dollars; however, Petróleos de Venezuela has been unable to find a buyer at that price.[12][13][14] It was confirmed in January 2015 that CITGO would not be sold, but rather bonds were sold by CITGO to give a dividend to PDVSA.[15] The Bonds sold included a $1.5bn five-year bond and a $1.3bn term loan to be fully repaid in three and a half years.[16]

In September 2010, in connection with the centennial of its original owner, Cities Service Company, CITGO unveiled a new retail design.[17] Within five years, CITGO plans for all locations to display the new street image.[18]

Venezuelan controversy

Chavez' position and statements over the past year or so didn't tempt us to stay with Citgo."[19]

Citgo launched a national ad campaign in the fall of 2006 emphasizing the company's

Joe Kennedy also aired through February 2007 featuring ordinary Americans thanking Citgo and Venezuela for providing discounted heating oil to low-income people.[21]

Refinery locations

Sponsorships

Citgo was a sponsor of the #21

Roush Racing team of Jeff Burton
from late 2000 until pulling out of the sport in 2003.

The company sponsored the Citgo

Andretti Autosport
(2013).

Citgo is now a major sponsor of the Bassmaster Fishing Tour, and is also the sponsor of a charity

Consistent with its former sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, CITGO has for the past few years sponsored an elite level multisport team that competes in both adventure racing and triathlon events throughout the United States.

The Boston Citgo sign

The Citgo sign, as seen from Lansdowne St., Boston

Citgo refers to its logo as the "trimark". A large, double-faced sign featuring this logo overlooks

light-emitting diodes (LEDs). (Earlier versions of the sign were illuminated by neon lighting; the previous sign contained some 5,878 glass tubes with a total length of over five miles.)[23] The sign sits atop the campus bookstore of Boston University
.

The first sign featuring the Cities Service green-and-white trefoil logo was built in 1940, and was replaced with the trimark in 1965. In 1979 Governor Edward J. King ordered the sign turned off as an example of energy conservation. Four years later, Citgo attempted to disassemble the weather-beaten sign, and was surprised to be met with widespread public affection for the sign and protest at its threatened removal. The Boston Landmarks Commission ordered its disassembly postponed while the issue was debated. While never formally declared a landmark, it was refurbished and relit by Citgo in 1983 and has remained in operation ever since. Rising next to Boston's Fenway Park, the sign has been nicknamed "See It Go"—especially when a home run is hit during a Red Sox game.[24]

The sign was highlighted in the short film Go, Go Citgo and the movie Field of Dreams. It was also featured in a 1983 Life magazine photograph feature, as well as a 1987 animated film as Kenmore Square's "neon god".[citation needed] The association with Fenway and the Boston Red Sox is so strong that some local Little League fields often are decorated with replicas of the Citgo sign, as is Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine, home of the Boston Red Sox' AA affiliate Portland Sea Dogs. Citgo installed a similar (albeit smaller) sign high on the glass wall above left field in Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros. In 2007, the Astros' AA affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks, installed a 50-foot replica of the Boston sign in their ballpark, Whataburger Field.[25]

Headquarters

Energy Corridor area of Houston

Citgo has its headquarters in the

Before it was headquartered in Houston, Citgo had its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2003 Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry met an executive of Citgo to discuss possible incentives that would keep the Citgo headquarters in Oklahoma.[27] For eight months the company debated whether to move its headquarters or to keep its headquarters in Oklahoma. In 2004 the company announced that its headquarters were moving to Houston.[28]

At that point the company had not decided which location in Houston would have the headquarters. The company wanted 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) of office space to house 700 employees. Citgo considered the

Energy Corridor.[29] In June of that year the company signed a lease in the five-storey Aspentech building so it could serve as a headquarters.[30][31][32] In September 2004 the company began moving its headquarters; on September 24 of that month 150 employees were in the Energy Corridor offices.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CI006.html
  2. ^ "Citgo 11.5% of 2017 Prospectus". Scribd. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  3. ^ "Henry L. Doherty". Enciclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  4. ^ "Empire Oil and Refining" (PDF).
  5. ^ Company History, by Citgo, accessed on 10 December 2007.
  6. ^ Clanton, Brett (2007-06-23). "Citgo trial on dirty air tests federal law". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  7. ^ Seba, Erwin (2007-06-27). "Citgo found guilty of violating U.S. Clean Air Act". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  8. ^ Seba, Erwin (2009-07-19). "Citgo Corpus refinery alky unit shut after fire". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  9. ^ Seba, Erwin (2009-07-20). "Fire still burns at Citgo Corpus Christi refinery". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  10. ^ McFarland, John (2009-12-10). "Feds urge new safety changes at Corpus Christi refinery". Associated Press/The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  11. ^ Seba, Erwin (2011-02-24). "Citgo fined for 2009 Corpus Christi blast, fire". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  12. ^ Pretel, Enrique Andres; Frank Jack Daniel (2010-10-26). "Chavez calls Venezuela-owned Citgo bad business". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  13. ^ Tovar, Ernesto J (2010-10-27). "Citgo was impacted by sale of assets and financial aid to Pdvsa". El Universal. Caracas, Venezuela. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  14. ^ Crooks, Nathan; Corina Rodriguez Pons (2010-10-27). "PDVSA Facing Tough Sale of Citgo, Minister Says". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  15. ^ Dezember, Ryan; Sider, Alison (2015-01-20). "Plug Pulled on Venezuela's Sale of Citgo". WSJ. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  16. ^ "PdV pledges 100pc of Citgo in debt transaction". Argus. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  17. ^ Seba, Erwin (2010-09-01). "CITGO Launches New Retail Design". CSP.net. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  18. ^ Lisanti, Linda (2010-11-01). "A Centennial Celebration". Convenience Store News. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  19. ^ 7-Eleven Drops Citgo As Gas Supplier, Washington Post, September 28, 2006.
  20. ^ Citgo To Gush About Its Charitable Side, BrandWeek, Oct. 25, 2006
  21. Washington Post
    , Feb. 24, 2007
  22. ^ CITGO: On the Road to a Cure, MDA Quest Magazine, Jan./Feb. 2007
  23. ^ "[1]." Citgo. Retrieved on March 17, 2015.
  24. ^ "[2]" BostonsPastime.com website|Retrieved on March 17, 2015.
  25. ^ White, Heather Ann (2007-04-29). "Hooks team gets its own landmark Citgo sign". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  26. ^ "Contact Us." Citgo. Retrieved on November 18, 2009.
  27. Journal Record
    . August 15, 2003. Retrieved on February 3, 2010.
  28. ^ Moreno, Jenalia, L.M. Sixel, Matt Schwartz, and Kristen Mack. "Citgo headquarters moving to Houston / Location, reputation have edge over Tulsa." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday April 27, 2004. A1. Retrieved on February 3, 2010.
  29. ^ Sarnoff, Nancy. "Citgo headquarters moving to Houston / No decision yet on home for company." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday April 27, 2004. A1. Retrieved on February 3, 2010.
  30. ^ Sarnoff, Nancy. "Citgo chooses Energy Corridor digs." Houston Chronicle. June 8, 2004. Business 1. Retrieved on February 3, 2010.
  31. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
    . July 9, 2004. Retrieved on February 3, 2010.
  32. ^ Sarnoff, Nancy (June 8, 2004). "Citgo Chooses West Houston Energy Corridor Digs". Houston Chronicle. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via Highbeam.com. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  33. ^ Moreno, Jenalia. "Citgo eager to get in growth mode." Houston Chronicle. Friday September 24, 2004. Business 9. Retrieved on February 3, 2010.

External links