While most New Year's celebrations ended weeks ago, the 2023 celebration is just starting for Avfuel Corporation as it kicks off its 50th anniversary with plans for a year-long golden jubilee.

Selecting its golden jubilee launch for NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, attendees who drew a golden guitar pick at Avfuel's co-exhibiting FBOs automatically won a $50 gift card, just one component of a Take Your Pick promotion.

Avfuel plans to roll out a slew of specials across the coming year, special events for employees and customers and a giveaway promotion celebrating the 50th. In the spirit of sustainability, and to recognise both its anniversary and Earth Day, Avfuel will match 50 per cent of carbon credits purchased by customers this April.

“Everyone at Avfuel is excited to celebrate the company's 50th year,” says senior vice president of sales Joel Hirst. “We're looking forward to sharing that excitement with our customers and industry colleagues. To us, 2023 is more than a milestone; our jubilee is a celebration of Avfuel's growth and evolution over five decades. As we celebrate, we'll reflect on where Avfuel came from, where it is today and where it can go from here. Together, we'll envision how Avfuel can continue to be on the cutting edge of aviation services as the needs of the industry continue to shift. We pride ourselves in upholding a legacy of innovation. The best way to commemorate 50 years of business will be to use Avfuel's story to motivate our team as we usher in the next generation of aviation.”

When Avfuel started operations in 1973, it was a regional fuel supplier, mainly serving Michigan and some surrounding Midwest states. When Craig Sincock acquired the company in 1985, he had a vision for the three employee operation. He saw the potential and has worked diligently ever since to grow and nurture the company in a way that better serves the needs of the aviation industry.

Over 50 years, with an unwavering dedication to aviation, and only aviation, the company has evolved from a modest regional operation to the industry's first comprehensive supplier of aviation fuel and services, operating on a global scale with more than 1,000 employees. With industry counterparts following suit, the definition of a fuel supplier and the inner workings of the aviation industry as a whole was forever changed.

“When we leapt onto the market, no one was doing what we set out to do,” says president and CEO Sincock. “We didn't know we shouldn't compete with the major oil companies, who were the aviation fuel suppliers at the time. It maybe wasn't the best business plan, but it worked. We asked questions of our customers, listened to their needs and developed solutions to meet those needs. We were the first fuel supplier to offer a complete suite of services that surround the fuel, including pilot rewards, contract fuel for corporate flight departments, in-house aviation insurance, trip support, on demand marketing support, on demand tax support, in-house 24/7 quality assurance and training, an in-house OEM for refueller trucks and sustainable solutions such as SAF and carbon credits. That's where our moniker stems from; Fuel ... and So Much More.

“Now, you'd be hard pressed to find a fuel supplier that doesn't offer, say, fuel rewards. It's expected. It's become a standard service," he continues. "The difference is Avfuel is always looking to go beyond standard. We're not content to fall back on our accomplishments. We're constantly looking for new ways to push the envelope, new ways to lead the industry and add value to the fuel supplier partnership. That's how we not only survived for 50 years, but thrived for 50 years. It's also how we'll continue to grow for the next 50 years as we not only welcome a new generation of general aviation, but support its vitality.”

While the fuel supplier doesn't have a crystal ball, it has experts on hand dedicated to analysing the market and looking into the future. As such, Avfuel is constantly keeping its pulse on new, innovative technologies that have the potential to alter aviation as we know it. Many of these technologies would require the supply chain to adapt; technologies in sustainability, electrification and air mobility.

“When we look into the future, we're excited and inspired,” adds Sincock. “In another 50 years, will we be a fuel company? Perhaps. Or perhaps, more likely, we'll be an energy company, providing solutions for electric, SAF and hydrogen power sources. Whatever Avfuel will be, it will exist to serve its customers and the industry we love. So yes, while we celebrate an extraordinary 50 years of growth, our story isn't nearly complete. We will continue to listen, to evolve and to lead. That's what it takes to be 'an original'. That's where a legacy of innovation will take you.”