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Fully Fuelled Ambition

EVA / October 8, 2018 - Craig R Sincock bought Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Avfuel in 1985. Today, it boasts in excess of 5,500 flight department customers, 650 branded FBOs and more than 3,000 fuelling locations globally, supplying fuel to passenger and freight airlines, corporate flight departments, FBOs, helicopter operators and the military. Through 28 further acquisitions, growing sales and marketing alliances, Sincock has not only expanded Avfuel into a worldwide fuel supplier, he’s also grown it into other, sometimes loosely related areas…

Avtank, for example, designs, engineers and builds fuel storage systems and refuelling equipment, while Avlease manages and leases that equipment. Avsurance procures insurance cover for pilots, airports, equipment manufacturers, distributors and other facilities, and Avplan is a full-service flight-planning and trip-support company. Meanwhile, Sincock’s sights are set firmly on the future, through the Avfuel Technology Initiatives Corporation.

Even more remarkable than this extraordinary success is the fact that Sincock barely left home to achieve it! A graduate of the University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, he still lives in the city and says: “Ann Arbor is my home and I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life. Avfuel was in Ann Arbor when I acquired it and there’s never really been a reason to move. We built a new office, but the city continues to be ideal for Avfuel for a number of reasons. We’re right next to the city’s general aviation airport, Ann Arbor has a thriving economy, which is good for business and our employees – as well as for attracting and retaining them – and it’s where our long-time employees have established their families. We have several off-site employees in key territories around the US and Europe, plus an office in Texas, but the vast majority of Avfuel employees are in-house, right at home in Ann Arbor.”

Sincock says he bought Avfuel because he intended “…to do something significant with it. I’ve always had big plans for Avfuel and believed in what the company could do from the very beginning. Stagnation is not an option – Avfuel will always grow and adapt. I’d like to think Avfuel’s growth was slow and steady, but when I look at its history, we really have covered a lot of ground in a relatively short time in the fuel business. We’ve never had a negative year and there’s a lot of reliability behind that statistic that our customers – and employees – can count on.”

Taking on a company with such grand plans for success inevitably meant accepting risk, but Sincock reckons that’s just part of the business. 

“There’s no growth without risk, but you should only take smart risks. We look at a potential acquisition from every angle and consult with experts inside and outside the company to make sure what we’re doing best serves our customers and employees.”

I’ve been flying since college and relish every moment I have in the cockpit. It is the most unique way to see the world

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