The Sigmor Era:

Tom Turner worked for Sigfried Moore at his modest gas station. In 1943, Mr. Moore decided to retire; he sold him the gas station for $350.00. Since Tom Turner did not have that much money, Sigfried Moore loaned him the money and Tom named his first station Sigmor after his former boss and friend. After paying his debt he was able to purchase a second station that he ran and his wife Mary ran the first station. He continued buying new stations whenever possible, and hired people to run them in the same fashion that he and Mary did. At night he drove a gasoline truck to refill his stations, and found it profitable to deliver gasoline for other people as well. Later his two sons, Tom Turner, Jr. and Fred Turner would also work at the family business and pump gas along with checking oil while making sure to keep the same family ethics.

When the idea of shopping stations came about, Tom Turner wasn’t big on the idea, but when it swept the nation in the early ‘70’s, he did more than just follow. He started converting Sigmor service stations into small self-serve outlets. These outlets would have high-volume, multi-pump self-service along with the stations being redone with large glass walls so the customers could see sandwich and coffee bars and a large inventory of goods including candy, soda, cigarettes, beer and an assortment of commonly needed automotive and convenience store products. Again Tom Turner was ahead of the game. Since his stores needed to be supplied with the products he sold, it only made sense to him to own the companies that supplied the products. He then purchased a company called Industrial Lubricants Company, (ILC) a distributor of Amalie motor oil. He also purchased a local Quaker State distributor called Sanantex Oil Company and combined the two companies. Then came Texas Products who built soda coolers for the stations, and Big Country Candy and Tobacco, who the product suppliers of cigarettes and candy. He then transformed ILC into a big shipping and receiving warehouse. At ILC, Mr. Turner would store and dispatch products and supplies to all of his Sigmor oil stations.

He loved the thrill and excitement of the music and entertainment industry. In the 1970’s he acquired 4 radio stations. By the early 1980’s, Tom Turner owned seven FM and AM radio broadcasting stations throughout the state of Texas. One of the largest of these radio stations was the country and western station called K-BUC and through the radio station he would advertise Sigmor. Many parties where thrown at his large newly built mansion on Nacogdoches Rd., in San Antonio. Some of the guests that attended these parties were Johnny Cash, Al Gore, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ann Richards. To give you an idea of Mr. Turner’s grand parties, Ray Price played at his home for his guests attending his 80th birthday celebration.

In 1982 Mr. Turner was approached by Diamond Shamrock regarding the sale of Sigmor to them. He decided it was the right thing to do. The company was feeling growing pains, suffering from huge bank debts, and the difficulty of keeping shareholders happy. Sigmor was sold along with the Three Rivers Refinery, Industrial Lubricants Company and various other subsidiaries to Diamond Shamrock, and became the largest shareholder of Diamond Shamrock stock. He signed a non-compete clause that would restrain him from going into any other retail gas business for 5 years. Tom Turner’s first major steps after the sale of Sigmor was the purchase of a small local Savings and Loan called Bexar Savings, which he would use as a vehicle to explore the real estate and development market and other investment ventures. The partnership created with V. K. Knowlton Paving Company, a major investment into the wholesale nursery supplier market, Lone Star Growers. His most grand project was the creation of Sonterra Country Club. A private country club with two 18 whole golf courses and huge development of land dedicated to the club community. People did not know that even though he had a wonderful private country club “Sonterra” Mr. Turner did not personally play golf. He also invested in something he did love personally; he purchased the San Antonio Dodgers (now known as the San Antonio Missions).

Now Tom Turner had come full circle, he paved the way for his family to carry on his tradition that he worked so hard to create, for the second time after the Sigmor days he had developed TETCO, a new leader in the industry and San Antonio, and he again created a dynasty and passed on the “American Dream”.