Clark Gas & Oil Co. Newsletter Fall 2024

Rickie and Della Fulcher

H ired in June of 1984, when the average price of gas was $1.13 a gallon, Rickie Fulcher has served both Clark Gas & Oil and his community in many capacities. Fulcher has been a member of the Patrick County School Board from January 1997 until December 2007; also serving terms as Vice Chairman and Chairman. He was a member of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors from June 2015 until December 2019 and served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Board. In addition to our local government boards, Fulcher has served on the Piedmont Governor’s School Board of Trustees, the Patrick Henry Community College Apprenticeship Advisory Board, the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce—serving as Vice President and President, was a founding member of the Patrick County Education Foundation,

presented themselves. Despite the many challenges throughout the years working at Clark Gas & Oil; including multiple gas crisis and keeping gas in the tanks after Hurricane Katrina, the company’s philosophy has always remained the same—the customers come first. The people who impacted his life and career have been his grandparents, Earley & Beulah Hopkins, and William B. Clark. Losing his father at the early age of 14, Mr. Fulcher learned many life lessons from his grandma & grandpa who guided him with love, patience, and the occasional sternness. He stated that Mr. Clark, known as B., gave him the opportunity by offering him the position as Director of Retail Operations, allowing him to make those critical decisions to build and grow the C-stores, by both of them putting their faith in the Lord and having faith in each other.

as well as the Patrick County High School Alumni Association. Rickie has also given of his talents to Patrick County’s Girl Scouts, Band Boosters, and the Developmental Center. In addition, he has served Virginia as a founding member of the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, Preventions Connections Foundation, SYNAR, and the Virginia School Board Association. It was very important from the beginning of his career at Clark Gas & Oil that community involvement and giving of oneself through service to others was not only the company’s mission, but his as well.

Rickie is a true professional who’s shown by example that excellence is something to aim for every day. For the last 40 years he’s inspired everyone around him to be more – professionally and personally. We wish him a wonderful, much deserved, retirement.

Mr. Fulcher said that the most rewarding aspect of his career at Clark Gas & Oil has been the relationships he has made over the years whether it was co-workers, vendors and customers and the trust factor that is built as a result of those relationships. He stated that Clark Gas & Oil is a family, and that family comes first. If there is ever a crisis, Clark is there. He recalled a time when his house burned and how both the company and family came together to help him and his wife, Della. When asked about his plans for retirement, Mr. Fulcher said that he wants to spend more time with his wife Della and has started vegetable gardening. He

wants to become more involved in outreach programs through his church, Bouldin Memorial Presbyterian Chruch, and have continued involvement in the Patrick County High School Alumni Association. As far as his words of wisdom for those who will follow in his footsteps at Clark Gas & Oil, Mr. Fulcher said to enjoy what you do--you can choose to either just make it a job, or you can develop relationships and give of yourself. His career at Clark Gas & Oil has embodied these words that have become his mission in life, “To fail to give of oneself for the benefit and service of others is a failure unto yourself.”

When asked how the job changed over the years, Fulcher said that it has become more hectic and challenging—business today is not as simple as it was forty years ago. When he began, Clark Gas & Oil had three convenience stores located in Dry Pond, Floyd and Christiansburg, Virginia. They grew up to ten stores, then sold the ones where they did not own the property, and now have eight stores today with locations in Floyd, Wytheville, Martinsville, Ridgeway, two in Hillsville, and two in Stuart, Virginia. Today it has become more challenging due to pricing, staffing and meeting the customer’s needs. When asked about skills critical to his success, Rickie replied having the ability to remain calm and to look at all sides of the problem. It was important not to jump to conclusions, but to be pro-active and not re-active when the challenges

Clark Gas & Oil is very grateful and blessed for Mr. Rickie Fulcher’s forty years of service. Best wishes in your well-deserved retirement!