Andy Dandy Oil Company
coltex
Mon Nov 29 2021 05:04 AM
Please see the history of Andy Dandy Oil Company. This is what America was built on! Smart people and hard work...... I thought this would be interesting to collectors on this sight. This was Vern West's company that sold gas before he sold out to Pat Griffin:
Local entrepreneur and former Chamber of Commerce
President Pat Griffin developed a chain of self-service gasoline
stations. In 1959 he purchased the patent for coin-operated
gas pumps from his Fort Collins-based friend Vern West. West
had based his invention on Fort Collins self-service pioneer
Lew Starkely’s work in automating the old style glass bowl gas
pumps. With West’s patent in hand, Griffin started his Gas-amat
stations where patrons could insert quarters, half dollars, or
dollars to purchase their own gas. His first Gas-a-mats were located
in Greeley and Casper, Wyoming. Reliance upon automated
pumps allowed Griffin to streamline the marketing and
sales process and he was able to sell his gasoline for as much
as eight to ten cents per gallon less than his competitors. For
this reason Griffin faced opposition from oil company executives
who accused him of trying to ruin the entire industry. He
also encountered legal challenges based upon fire codes; in
1961 the Wyoming State Supreme Court ruled self-service gas
stations like Gas-a-mat were legal as long as there was someone
in attendance at all times. This decision introduced another
Gas-a-mat hallmark: live-in attendants, usually retired
couples, who made change and, after the switch to tokens,
sold these markers for customers to purchase gas.
Despite the courts finding self-service gas stations legal,
Gas-a-mat continued to face challenges with city fire codes.
This issue led Griffin to establish his stations on the fringes of
communities. Land in these areas was usually inexpensive and
he routinely purchased as much as five acres for each new station
plus accommodation for the live-in attendants. Following
the 1961 Wyoming court decision, Gas-a-mats started to appear
throughout the west. During the 1960s the eye-catching
red and white Gas-a-mat sign appeared at stations in New
Mexico (1961), Utah (1962), Montana and Idaho (1963), Nevada
(1964), Arizona (1965), Washington and Nebraska (1967), California
(1968), and South Dakota (1969). Eventually the Gasamat
empire included ninety-five stations in twelve western
states. In 1961 Griffin also established a 6,000 square foot office
space for the Pat Griffin Company at 330 West Prospect
Road in Fort Collins.
