Fueling the Future
OWL™ Services unites legacy and innovation, expanding nationwide as a leader in petroleum and EV infrastructure.
OWL Services (OWL) is dedicated to the engineering, design, construction, and service of all things fueling, including both petroleum and EV. Serving convenience fueling and retail, as well as fleet and commercial clients like Penske and FedEx who operate their own fueling sites, OWLs roots go back more than 80 years to Oscar W. Larson, which is where the name OWL comes from. Oscar W. Larson is a highly respected name in the business and became the anchor company when OWL acquired it in December 2020. Since then, 13 companies have been added to the OWL family, including the recent addition of Seneca Companies in January of 2024.
Today OWL stands as an integrated service company, purpose-built from some of the nation’s leading petroleum service and construction, compliance, electrical contracting, and EV-infrastructure businesses. The company is leading the shift to electrification while ensuring America’s fueling operations remain safe, compliant, and reliable. OWL serves full-service convenience stores, fueling centers, electric vehicle charging hubs, and fleet operations centers with a comprehensive portfolio of services.
Following a recent change in the leadership at OWL Services, Construction Today learns about the next stage of evolution for the organization from new CEO, Bob Dee.
“Prior to entering the petroleum compliance and service business over 22 years ago, I had a background in both sales and general management leadership with some very large Fortune 500 companies,” he begins. “My decision to enter the petroleum service and construction space was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The importance of the vital services we provide, along with my teammates, customers, vendor partners and our ever-changing industry dynamics, keeps me energized and committed to this great line of work. As OWL continues to grow organically and through acquisition, we have an even greater responsibility to our employees and customers and I'm looking forward to working within all our business units to continue to cross pollinate our strong cultures, with an emphasis on our employees’ career growth, service diversification and excellence in delivery.
“Throughout the next year I will be focused on visiting each of our over 40 branch locations and hearing from our employees,” Bob elaborates, “I’ll be doing the same with customers and vendor partners. I’ve always prided myself on being accessible and open to ideas and opinions of others, and my plan is to double-down on this approach. I will also be evaluating the results and plans of our various business units and further identifying best practices, and potential new service opportunities for OWL. In short, my next 12 months will be critical to our success, and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity.”
Impressive project portfolio
Focusing on business units, OWL’s EV segment has grown rapidly, reaching nearly ten percent of the company’s total top-line revenue last year; up from about five percent just two years earlier. While the sector has faced some recent headwinds, partly due to shifts in the political climate, transition to electric vehicles is inevitable. Except for California, the US is roughly five years behind countries such as France, where EV charging stations are already common along major highway corridors. Although it’s difficult to predict what percentage of cars on the road electric vehicles will eventually represent, it’s clear that EVs will make up a significant share of future transportation.
OWL has built a nationwide team of accomplished EV charging professionals with the knowledge to execute an electric mobility plan with precision, transparency, and accountability. As electric mobility technology evolves, and state and federal policy is developed, OWL will make sure its customers are plugged in right up to the last mile.
OWL provides the full scope of general and electrical contracting services with in-depth resources for retail and commercial businesses who rely on petroleum and electric fuel as a mission-critical component of everyday operations. One such organization is Buc-ee’s, a true phenomenon in the fueling industry. What began as a Texas-based brand has rapidly expanded across the Southeast and into parts of the Midwest, transforming expectations for what a gas station or convenience fueling site can be.
Buc-ee’s stands apart because of its sheer scale; a single location can have as many as 120 fuel dispensers on a single site and its retail footprint is equally impressive. OWL is proud to serve as the electrical contractor of choice for many Buc-ee’s locations.
People-first culture
This commitment to excellence and scalability has shaped Bob’s approach to leadership and OWL’s organizational ethos. “My leadership strategy is very clear cut,” Bob continues. “I intend to focus on our people and culture; develop and empower our teammates at every level, foster a safety culture, and reward our performers. Secondly, I am committed to operational excellence and efficiency. Standardization of our best practices and elite service delivery across our business is vital. We will develop and track against KPIs that everyone can understand and participate in, and we will continually improve ourselves using technology, innovation and good old-fashioned customer and employee feedback. In terms of our vision and growth, as our industry transforms, so shall we. We will define a clear vision and execute against those plans. While allowing for mistakes along the way, learning from those mistakes will make us stronger.”
Indeed, OWL fosters a people-first culture, grounded in genuine respect for its workforce. The company’s success depends on its employees, so caring for them is essential, while also holding them accountable for safety, professionalism, and representing the company with skill. True operational excellence begins with valuing people, not just processes.
“Over the next five years, I envision OWL developing into a fully integrated construction, SaaS, distribution and professional service firm, respected as the leader in our industry and known for our innovation, excellence in delivery, and above all, with the best and most inspired employees in the US,” Bob concludes.
“Our industry and customers deserve the best, and we intend to provide it to them.”
