Highland Energy

What Highland Energy does

Highland Energy is a fourth-generation, family-owned Tennessee company that operates as a vertically integrated fuel and convenience retail business across middle and west Tennessee. The company was founded in 1936 by E.M. Adcox as an Esso consignee and rebranded from Highland Corporation to Highland Energy in January 2026. Highland distributes petroleum products under four major fuel brands (Shell, Exxon, BP, and Marathon) plus its proprietary unbranded Fast Fuel option to independent fuel dealers, while also operating its own convenience store chain, Fast Stop Markets, at multiple Tennessee locations. The company also operates Pacific Pride commercial fueling sites serving fleet customers.

The company is structurally built around several wholly owned subsidiaries: Fuel Transport, LLC, a for-hire common carrier that delivers fuel and petroleum products to hundreds of locations across Tennessee using company-owned trucks operating 24/7, 365 days a year; Fast Stop Markets; Pacific Pride; Fast Fuel; and the Highland Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit established in 2006. The core technology is the fuel distribution and convenience retail operations infrastructure rather than any software platform. There are no disclosed APIs, SDKs, or digital product surfaces, and no AI/ML capabilities are described.

Highland employs a B2B sales-led go-to-market model, with account specialists maintaining long-term relationships (10+ years with most dealers) and providing bundled operational services including credit card processing, mystery shopping scores, banking, maintenance, environmental compliance, and fuel equipment support. The company also helps dealers build new store locations from site study through opening. Revenue is generated across four transaction-fee streams: wholesale fuel distribution, Fast Stop Markets retail sales, Fuel Transport LLC carrier services, and Pacific Pride commercial fueling. Pricing is quote-based and varies by volume, location, and contract terms. Leadership includes CEO Seth Blanks (fourth-generation CEO, joined 2007) and Chairman David Adcox (stepped into Chairman role in 2020). The company has added over 120 new jobs in the past five years and is headquartered at 108 Mill Avenue, Hohenwald, Tennessee.

Name

Highland Energy

Legal name

Highland Energy

Website

https://highlandenergy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Highland Energy is a fourth-generation, family-owned Tennessee company that distributes fuel under Shell, Exxon, BP, Marathon, and Fast Fuel brands, operates Fast Stop Markets convenience stores, and runs Fuel Transport LLC for fuel delivery across middle and west Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hohenwald

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fuel Wholesale and Distribution: Wholesale distribution of petroleum products under Shell, Exxon, BP, and Marathon brands, plus proprietary Fast Fuel unbranded option. Serves dealer-operated sites across middle and west Tennessee.
2. Convenience Retail (Fast Stop Markets): Company-owned and operated convenience store chain under the Fast Stop Markets brand, offering fuel and retail products at multiple locations across Tennessee.
3. Fuel Transportation Services: Fuel Transport LLC operates as a for-hire common carrier delivering fuel and petroleum products to hundreds of locations across Tennessee. Services run 24/7, 365 days per year with company-owned trucks.
4. Commercial Fleet Fueling (Pacific Pride): Pacific Pride commercial fueling sites support fleet customers with dedicated fueling infrastructure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Highland Energy is a vertically integrated fuel distribution and convenience retail company operating across middle and west Tennessee. The company wholesale distributes petroleum products under Shell, Exxon, BP, and Marathon brands and its proprietary Fast Fuel unbranded option to independent fuel dealers, operates the company-owned Fast Stop Markets convenience store chain, runs Fuel Transport LLC as an in-house fuel delivery carrier, and operates Pacific Pride commercial fleet fueling sites.

Product overview

Highland Energy is a vertically integrated fuel and convenience retail company offering comprehensive petroleum product distribution, convenience store operations, and fuel transportation services across middle and west Tennessee. The portfolio includes company-owned and operated Fast Stop Markets convenience stores, wholly owned Fuel Transport LLC for petroleum product delivery, four major fuel brands (Shell, Exxon, BP, Marathon) plus proprietary Fast Fuel unbranded option, Pacific Pride commercial fueling sites for fleet customers, and the Highland Charitable Foundation for community giving. The company also supports dealer-operated Shell, Exxon, BP, and Marathon sites alongside its proprietary brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fast Stop Markets: Company-owned and operated convenience store chain in middle and west Tennessee
• Fuel Transport
• Fast Fuel
• Highland Charitable Foundation

Products and services

• Fast Stop Markets

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ new jobs added in past 5 years due to business expansion
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Viking MotorsportsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 May 2026Fast Stop Markets (owned by Highland Energy) partnered with Viking Motorsports as an associate partner on the No. 99 Chevrolet driven by Parker Retzlaff for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. Partnership includes retail activation across Tennessee Fast Stop locations during race week, fan engagement at the track, and in-store promotions connecting NASCAR fans with the brand.
• Michael Waltrip Brewing CompanyflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 May 2026Michael Waltrip Brewing Company partners with Fast Stop Markets and Viking Motorsports for NASCAR Nashville race weekend. Products featured across participating Tennessee Fast Stop locations throughout race week. Michael Waltrip Brewing serves as associate partner on No. 96 Chevrolet for the Tennessee Lottery 250.
• ShellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShell is one of four major fuel brands (along with Exxon, BP, and Marathon) that Highland Energy distributes as a wholesale partner. Highland supports Shell-branded dealer-operated fuel sites across middle and west Tennessee.
• ExxoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExxon is one of four major fuel brands distributed by Highland Energy as a wholesale partner. Highland supports Exxon-branded dealer-operated fuel sites across middle and west Tennessee.
• BPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBP is one of four major fuel brands distributed by Highland Energy as a wholesale partner. Highland supports BP-branded dealer-operated fuel sites across middle and west Tennessee.
• MarathoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarathon is one of four major fuel brands distributed by Highland Energy as a wholesale partner. Highland supports Marathon-branded dealer-operated fuel sites across middle and west Tennessee.
• Pacific PridecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPacific Pride commercial fueling locations are part of Highland Energy's family of fuel products, supporting commercial fleet customers with dedicated fueling infrastructure across the service area.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RaceTrac: Family-owned convenience and fuel retail chain with strong Southeastern U.S. presence — directly comparable to Highland's regional c-store + fuel model in a similar operating geography.
• Sunoco LP: Master limited partnership distributing motor fuels across the U.S. with a significant convenience retail footprint — directly comparable to Highland's wholesale fuel distribution and dealer-operated site model.
• Pilot Travel Centers: Largest U.S. travel center operator combining fuel distribution, fleet fueling, and convenience retail — directly comparable to Highland's vertically integrated wholesale-fuel + c-store + commercial-fueling model, though at vastly larger scale.
• Casey's General Stores: Large convenience store chain with integrated fuel sales and in-house fuel logistics — directly comparable to Highland's Fast Stop Markets and wholesale fuel distribution model, particularly in Midwestern U.S. geographies.
• CrossAmerica Partners: Wholesale fuel distributor and convenience store operator with dealer-supply and company-operated retail sites — directly comparable to Highland's wholesale-to-dealer and Fast Stop Markets dual model.
• Global Partners: Northeast U.S. wholesale distributor of gasoline, diesel, and home heating oil with station and terminal operations — directly comparable to Highland's wholesale petroleum bulk stations and terminals business.
• GPM Investments (ARKO Corp): Convenience store and wholesale fuel distribution business combining dealer supply and company-operated retail — closely mirrors Highland's combination of wholesale fuel distribution plus owned Fast Stop Markets c-store operations.
• Murphy USA: High-volume, low-cost convenience and fuel retailer primarily located near Walmart stores — directly comparable to Highland's Fast Stop Markets c-store business with fuel attach.

Broad incumbents

• BP: Major integrated oil major and one of Highland's four principal fuel brand partners; BP's downstream jobber/wholesale program defines the structural relationship Highland operates within, and BP also competes at scale in fuel retail and convenience.
• Shell: Major integrated oil major and a core fuel brand partner of Highland; Shell's U.S. downstream wholesale-to-dealer program is the template for the brand-partnered model Highland runs across its dealer sites.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highlandenergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Highland Energy