ROCKINGHAM — A local company is the recent recipient of a statewide industry award.
Quality Oil and Gas Co., based in Rockingham, announced on social media Monday that it received the 2025 Don Ward Industry Excellence Cup from the N.C. Petroleum and Convenience Marketers Association.
The award, established in 1998 by the NCPMA’s Public Relations Committee and Board of Directors, is named in honor of the man who served as the association’s executive vice president for 43 years.
Criteria for the award include: being involved in or promoting the industry for at least 10 years; having principals who are involved in the community; actively promoting the oil industry, being active in trade association committees; participation in NCPMA meetings; and exhibiting “high levels of character, integrity and respect from fellow member organizations.”
Gene McLaurin, president and CEO of the company, said the award was presented Sunday evening at the association’s annual convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
McLaurin was president of the NCPMA in 2022, Jimmy McDonald currently serves on the board directors, and Marketing Director Leanne Jurczyk is co-chair of the association's Leading Women in Petroleum Committee.
According to its website, Quality Oil and Gas has been an industry “staple” in the Sandhills for around 80 years and also has offices along the U.S. 74 corridor in Wadesboro, Laurinburg and Lumberton.
The company supplies around 70 convenience stores in the region through its gasoline division, around 8,000 customers through its propane division, and sells products nationwide through its lubricants and industrial oil division.
“This recognition is a testament to the dedication, integrity, and hard work of every member of the Quality Oil and Gas team,” reads a Facebook post. “We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our industry and community, and we will continue to uphold the values of excellence that this award represents. Thank you to North Carolina Petroleum & Convenience Marketers for this meaningful acknowledgment.”
The award was not given out in 2010, 2013 or 2015, according to the NCPMA website. This year’s award winners are not yet listed. The association also gives out four other awards.
“Our employees really deserve the credit for this award,” McLaurin told the RO on Tuesday, noting that there are 42 across the four-county region and that some have decades of experience. “We’re really proud of our workforce.”
