AutoGas' success in the self-serve gasoline industry began in 1981 when it became a business enterprise within E-Z Serve, one of the nations leading independent gasoline marketing chains. E-Z Serve was, at that time, under the direction of CEO, Randy Nicholson.
Nicholson, who had helped to pioneer self-serve in the 1970’s, became the President and CEO of AutoGas Systems, Inc. in 1986 when E-Z Serve was sold. As a private company under his leadership, AutoGas quickly became a leader in retail unattended fueling technology and integrated convenience store systems.
In the early 90’s, AutoGas responded to the market’s demand for integration technology and increased efficiencies when it acquired StoreMaster, a register to headquarters solution. This proven POS and convenience store information management software system enabled AutoGas to became a full-line (hose to headquarters) service supplier of hardware and software solutions for the convenience store industry to include:
- Pay-at-the-Pump
- Site Controllers
- Point-of-Sale
- Convenience Store Management Systems
- Home Office MIS Systems
- Inventory and Price Management Systems
With the introduction REGAL in 1997, software modules were packaged together to give retailers the exact configuration they required for their particular environment. Through advancements in the REGAL product line, the REGAL solution continues to deliver value to AutoGas customers through applications such as:
- Customer Loyalty Fuel Programs
- Prepaid Fuel Card
- Multiple Concurrent Network Authorizers
- Multi-Level Fuel Pricing
AutoGas Milestones
- Introduced Self-Serve
- 1st Bankcard at a fuel island
- Developed Pay-at-the-Pump
- Introduced SiteMaster
- Developed REGAL products, the first open architecture fueling solution
- Introduced scanning at the fuel island
- Developed DIGITAL REWARDS, the patented solution for price-per-unit rewards on cross-marketed products
- Launched the Quantum 360 loyalty solution
- REGAL has a 99.99% up time as demonstrated with major high volume retailers
- Operating multi-manufacturer direct Dispenser/ICR interfaces for over 5 years (no additional manufacturer hardware required)
- The REGAL platform is built on a true 32-bit, multi-threaded, modular application design (called the Modular AutoGas System - or MAS). It allows system features/functions to be easily added to or removed from the runtime environment without complete system interruption (Hot Swap).
- Introduced Streamline, the new generation of REGAL software, designed to accommodate all AutoGas customers with consistent, reliable operations. Streamline establishes a common baseline for product development, future enhancements and scheduled maintenance.
AutoGas employs some of the country’s leading specialists in the automated fueling industry. From a technical standpoint, the staff has over four hundred years of combined industry experience, sixty years of which come from five key individuals. AutoGas has in excess of 4,000 fueling sites running the REGAL system.
