Mallard

What Mallard does

Mallard Oil & LP Gas Co. is a privately held, locally owned energy distribution and diversified retail company headquartered in Kinston, North Carolina, founded in 1968 by Tony Mallard. The company operates across Eastern North Carolina, serving 11 counties (Onslow, Jones, Lenoir, Carteret, Greene, Pamlico, Beaufort, Craven, Eastern Wayne, Greenville, and Duplin) with propane gas distribution and heating/fuel oil delivery for residential, commercial, agricultural, nautical, and industrial customers. Its core product is the 'Keep Full Service' automatic propane delivery program, which schedules monthly technician visits to service and refill customer tanks. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated primarily on a usage-based model for fuel delivery and on a recurring subscription basis for mini storage and retail plaza leasing.

Beyond fuel distribution, Mallard operates three diversified subsidiaries under a multi-divisional structure. Grills & Fireplaces is a retail showroom operation across four locations (Ayden, Cape Carteret, New Bern, Kinston) selling premium third-party grill brands (Big Green Egg, Napoleon, DCS, Green Mountain, Wilmington, Saffire, Alliance, Blaze, PK, Camp Chef) and wood-burning, gas, direct-vent, and vent-free fireplaces, inserts, gas logs, and accessories. Mallard Plaza offers commercial retail space leasing on Hwy 70 East in New Bern James City, and Mallard Mini Storage provides self-storage rentals. Distribution is conducted via direct phone-based inside sales with regional dedicated contacts, retail showrooms, and a third-party member billing portal (rccbi.com). In 2023 the company introduced ACH/credit card automatic bill pay and a Jotform-powered 'Become a Customer' digital onboarding flow, indicating incremental digitization of the historically phone-driven sales motion.

The company has 11-50 employees, no disclosed funding rounds, no acquisitions or mergers, and no proprietary technology platform. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, certifications, or strategic partnerships are disclosed. Marketing relies primarily on local reputation, word-of-mouth, and the company website (mallardoil.com). The operating model is that of a mature, multi-generational family/local business with diversified but regionally constrained revenue streams anchored in a commodity distribution business.

Name

Mallard

Legal name

Mallard Oil & LP Gas Co.

Website

https://mallardoil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mallard Oil & LP Gas Co. is a privately held, locally owned energy distributor in Eastern North Carolina, founded in 1968, delivering propane and fuel oil and operating Grills & Fireplaces showrooms, mini storage, and Mallard Plaza retail leasing across 11 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fuel Distribution and Energy Services

NAICS

Fuel Dealers (457210)

SIC

Natural Gas Transmisison & Distribution (4923)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural Gas Retail Supply (Residential & SMB) (EUAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Cooking Retail (Fuel, Accessories) (CRAIAIAH), Outdoor Cooking, Grills & Fuel Retail (CRAMAMAD)

Keywords

• Propane distribution
• Oil delivery
• Heating fuel
• Fireplace retail
• Grill sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Kinston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Propane Distribution: Propane delivery and distribution services for residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial customers across Eastern North Carolina.
2. Oil Delivery: Heating oil and fuel oil delivery services for residential and commercial customers.
3. Grills & Fireplaces Retail: Sale of gas grills, charcoal/pellet grills, fireplaces, inserts, wood stoves, gas logs, and accessories through retail showrooms.
4. Mini Storage: Mini storage facility rental services managed under Mallard Mini Storage.
5. Mallard Plaza Retail Leasing: Commercial retail space leasing at Mallard Plaza located off Hwy 70 East in New Bern James City, offering flexible and affordable leasing options for businesses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Mallard distributes propane gas and heating oil to residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial customers across Eastern North Carolina. The company also operates Grills & Fireplaces retail showrooms selling gas, charcoal, and pellet grills plus fireplace products, Mallard Plaza for commercial retail leasing, and Mallard Mini Storage facilities.

Product overview

Mallard is an Eastern North Carolina-based energy distribution company founded in 1968, operating multiple divisions including Mallard Propane (propane gas distribution), Mallard Oil (oil delivery), Grills & Fireplaces (retail store for grills and fireplaces), Mallard Plaza (commercial leasing), and Mallard Mini Storage. The company also offers a 'Keep Full Service' automatic propane delivery program. This portfolio serves residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial customers across multiple counties in Eastern North Carolina, with locations in Kinston, New Bern, Ayden, and Cape Carteret.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mallard Propane Propane gas distribution and delivery service for residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial needs across Eastern North Carolina including Onslow, Jones, Lenoir, Carteret, Greene, Pamlico, Beaufort, Craven, Eastern Wayne, Greenville, and Duplin counties.
• Mallard Oil Delivery Fuel oil delivery service providing heating oil and fuel oil for residential, commercial, agricultural, nautical, and industrial energy needs across Eastern North Carolina.
• Grills & Fireplaces Retail showrooms offering gas (propane and natural gas), lump charcoal, and pellet grills from brands including Big Green Egg, Napoleon, Green Mountain, Wilmington, Saffire, DCS, Alliance, Blaze, PK, and Camp Chef, as well as wood-burning, direct-vent, and vent-free fireplaces, gas logs, fireplace inserts, wood stoves (Jotul, Buck Stove), and accessories. Locations in Ayden, Cape Carteret, New Bern, and Kinston.
• Mallard Plaza Commercial real estate leasing service offering retail space for lease on Hwy 70 East in New Bern James City, providing high traffic visibility and flexible affordable leasing options for businesses.
• Mallard Mini Storage Mini storage facility offering storage space for personal or business storage needs, managed alongside Mallard's other service divisions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AmeriGas Propane (AmeriGas Partners): Largest US propane retailer (LPG) serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers nationwide with route-based delivery, tank exchange, and branded cylinder programs — Mallard's national-scale counterpart in the same business model.
• Ferrellgas Partners (Blue Rhino): National propane distributor and parent of Blue Rhino tank exchange, with grill retail (Mr. Steak, fireplaces) and ~1 million customers across all 50 states — closest peer combining Mallard's exact propane + grill/fireplace retail combination at scale.
• Suburban Propane Partners: Publicly traded master limited partnership distributing propane, fuel oil, and refined fuels to ~1 million residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers across 41 states — direct national analog to Mallard's residential fuel delivery model.
• Tractor Supply Company: National rural-lifestyle retailer selling grills, outdoor cooking equipment, propane tank exchange, and heating products into the same rural/suburban customer base Mallard serves with its Grills & Fireplaces showrooms.
• Camping World Holdings: National specialty retailer of RVs, camping equipment, and outdoor living products including grills and outdoor cooking accessories — adjacent comparator for Mallard's Grills & Fireplaces retail business in the outdoor cooking category.
• Inergy Propane / Spire Propane: Spire Inc.'s propane subsidiary operates a Mid-Atlantic regional propane distribution business; comparable to Mallard's residential/SMB propane delivery focus and Eastern US operating region.
• Superior Plus Corp. Canadian energy distribution holding company with US propane distribution, specialty fuels, and construction products divisions — closely comparable multi-product, multi-region energy distribution platform to Mallard's propane/oil/plaza structure.

Direct peers

• ThompsonGas: Regional propane distributor serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast US (including North Carolina), offering automatic delivery, residential heating, and commercial accounts — direct operating-model match for Mallard with a slightly broader Mid-Atlantic footprint.
• Blossman Gas: Privately held regional propane distributor founded 1951 serving the Carolinas and Southeast US with route-based residential, commercial, and agricultural delivery — closely aligned with Mallard's geographic footprint and operating model.

Regional players

• H.L. Vary & Sons / R.H. Vary: Long-standing independent Northeast US fuel oil and propane delivery business serving rural residential customers — comparable older, family-owned heating fuel distributor with similar model and customer base to Mallard's oil and propane delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mallard-oil-company-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mallard