Bates Fuel, Inc. is your hometown source of heating products

    Sometimes the door to a new career opens accidentally. Such was the case for Scott Bates, owner of Bates Fuel, Inc.
    When a work related injury forced Bates from his career working in the woods industry, he began searching for a new career. Bates knew a person in the southern Aroostook area that had a small fuel company for sale and the wheels were quickly put into place to acquire the business.
    Bates Fuel, Inc. has been providing home heating oil in southern Aroostook for the past 23 years. They deliver off/on road diesel fuel; No. 2 heating fuel; kerosene; and also provide 24 hour burner service.
    Bates said he has seen his customer base grow steadily over the years. He prides himself on being a local dealer that is large enough to meet the demands of its clients, but yet is not so big that they don’t know who their customers are.
    With seven full time and three part time employees, Bates said the secret to staying in business for as long as he has was simple.
    “A lot of hard work, honest business practices and treating people properly,” he said. “That’s my secret.”
    The company also offers heat pumps, which provide a new and innovative way for individuals to heat and cool their homes.
    Customer service is extremely important to Bates, who feels his smaller company is able to do things that larger corporations may not be able to.
    “As a small company, we have more flexibility when it comes to customer service,” he said. “We are very thankful for our faithful customers and we also welcome new ones to join our growing business.”
    Bates Fuel has offices in Houlton and Stacyville open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to meet the needs of its customers.
    For more information on Bates Fuel, call 532-1166 (Houlton) or 365-4292 (Stacyville).