Hightowers Petroleum Company of the Year

Stephen Hightower credits much of his business success to communication abilities he developed while a student at Wright State University from 1974 to 1978. Majoring in management and communications, Hightower took part in speaking competitions that sharpened skills he would later use to build business relationships and sell his products and services.

Hightowers Petroleum Co., headed by Wright State Foundation board member Stephen Hightower, was named Black Enterprise’s Industrial Service Company of the Year.

The honor was announced May 16 at the 2013 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

“The CEOs of our Companies of the Year are among our nation’s most outstanding entrepreneurs,” said Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., president and CEO of Black Enterprise magazine. “They set a standard of achievement to which all of our Entrepreneurs Conference attendees aspire.”

The $300 million, Middletown, Ohio-based Hightowers Petroleum has grown by more than 25 percent a year over the past three years. The company is flourishing among the Goliaths of Big Oil, and counts Kroger, Ford Motor Co., Duke Energy, AK Steel and General Motors as customers.

Hightower credits much of his business success to communication abilities he developed while a student at Wright State University from 1974 to 1978. Majoring in management and communications, Hightower took part in speaking competitions that sharpened skills he would later use to build business relationships and sell his products and services.

Read more about Stephen Hightower in the fall 2012 Wright State University Magazine.