News
Making a Living Fueling a family business
Gregory Dubas has built a successful career out of building gas stations. And at 64, an age where many business owners consider retirement, Dubas is looking forward to the future of Pine Run Construction, which builds infrastructure for the petroleum industry. His son, Brian, recently joined the Buckingham company as vice president of business development, bringing his experience in banking and customer service.
Gregory Dubas founded Pine Run 26 years ago, after learning the petroleum construction business at Mobil Oil Corp., now Exxon/Mobil. He spent 16 years working in retail gas station construction with Mobil. Dubas saw changes in the industry early, as the big oil companies began to move away from building their own stations. So he left Mobil and started Pine Run Construction.
At its height, Pine Run installed a half-dozen new gas stations every year. But the business has changed over the years. Today, instead of building stations from the ground up, Pine Run concentrates on installing tanks and pipes at commercial, industrial and residential properties.“Today, we do not work with major oil,” Greg Dubas said. “All are small customers, like convenience stores.”
Brian Dubas, the oldest of Gregory Dubas’ four children, spent summers working in the field with his father. But he chose banking as a career in college, and made a name for himself in management and commercial lending for several area banks.
On their way back from a basketball game, his father brought up the possibility of his son returning to work for Pine Run. A few months later, the younger Dubas, 36, decided to jump at the chance.
Son, Brian, noted that two of the foremen he worked with as a teenager, Rob Bresser and Rich Gable, are still employed with Pine Run to this day, to which the senior Dubas adds, " I've seen many businesses come and go during our 25-year tenure, and one factor that has set us apart has been attracting and retaining the best talent. If I've learned one thing during my career it's that the key to being successful is owed to the caliber of a company's employees."
Says Dubas, "The workmanship and dedication of our field staff are complimented by the personal commitment and professionalism of our administrative staff."