Brazos Trails- March 1 2012

01. Mar, 2012 0 Comments

Lucas Oil — Rags to riches story
While we’re hearing a lot about Robert Griffin III at the NFL Scouting
Combine Feb. 28 at the Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis, you probably
don’t know about Forrest Lucas who is paying $122 Million over 20 years to
put his name on the stadium. It is a rags to riches story. Remember this is
where the Super Bowl was held this year.

The stadium story is one you probably have never heard before. Who or
what is this Lucas who put his name on the new stadium where the Colts
play?
I discovered it in a Fortune magazine.
Forrest Lucas and his wife Charlotte are from Indianapolis. They were
married in March 82.
Forrest is president and CEO of Lucas Oil. He’s 70 now.

He began by racing cars. He needed them to run better at less cost so he
began
inventing oil additives. In 1989 he started Lucus Oil Products. He bought
his first semi truck at 21.
At 13 he was showing registered cattle in breeder shows. He’d help his dad
with logging. He left home at 15 because his dad was drinking.

For 20 years he has been in the long haul trucking business based in
California. Since California was a long way from his markets back East, he
needed his trucks to perform better. Same deal. Use oil additives for the
job
Soon he began setting up oil refineries in California. One of his first
was
in Indianapolis. He and his wife went to a lot of trade shows to push
their products.
Money was tight so they lived on lean budget, but finally one day in 1995,
they
turned the corner. Only then did they feel they could splurge on an
expensive car. It was a Buick Riviera.
Today Lucas Oil is a world wide company. They have continued to grow right
on through the recession.