Whiting Energy Fuels

General information

Founded in 1870 by William B. Whiting in Holyoke, MA, Whiting Energy Fuels began as a horse-drawn wagon coal delivery business. For over 140 years, Whiting has maintained a fully integrated business model, changing with the times and expanding to meet the needs of an energy hungry population.

One hundred and forty three years have passed since William B. Whiting leased land from the New Haven Railroad, constructed a building and opened his coal and wood heating business at 485 Dwight St., Holyoke, MA. Today, his great-grandson, president and treasurer, Richard C. Whiting Jr. sits behind the desk and directs the family business that has grown and prospered since 1870. Whiting Energy Fuels now has one main office at 300A King St. Northampton, MA and another satellite office at 11 Cleveland Rd., Dalton, MA.

Whiting Energy has a long and interesting history of servicing the residents of Holyoke and the surrounding communities. Founder, William B. Whiting began his business during the first presidential term of Ulysses S. Grant. In those days, coal and wood were delivered to customers by horse-drawn wagons. When William B. died in 1902, he left his business, which had grown to include 30 horses and wagons, to Edward, one of his eleven children. Edward kept the business going despite the difficulties of providing fuel during the First World War. During his tenure, Edward implemented trucks as a means of distribution and phased out delivery by wagon. The horse barn, which stood on the corners of Elm and Hampden Street in Holyoke was torn down and replaced by a garage, which still stands today.

Around 1920, William’s grandson, Philip C. Whiting, or “Pete” entered the coal business, following in the steps of his father and grandfather. He attended Cornell University and was famous in the area for his basketball skills. His father, Edward passed away shortly after his son joined the company. By 1923, the company’s capacity had increased to a record of 30,000 tons of coal distributed annually.

In 1935, Whiting began selling oil fuel as more people switched from coal and wood. Philip died in 1962 and left the company to his son Richard Whiting Sr., now 91 and ex-president emeritus of the company. Richard C. Whiting Sr. was born and raised in Holyoke, MA. He was a freshman at Williams College when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, wherein he became a Naval officer and served in World War II with P.T. Squadron 542 in Okinawa, Japan. In 1946, he returned to Holyoke to run the family business with his father. Along the way, Whiting Sr. evolved the business scope, serving as the president of the New England Fuel Institute in 1952 and implemented heating and air conditioning units along with a highly skilled, 24-hour service department. In 1959, Whiting bought a well known Northampton company, Kimball and Cary, expanding their offices to Northampton, Amherst and Holyoke. By 1965, Whiting abandoned the coal business completely in order to channel energies towards a more extensive oil distribution.

Presently, the company maintains storage capacity of just over 1 million gallons of oil. The fifth generation to enter the family business, Richard C. Whiting Jr. joined the company in 1976. A Holyoke native, Rick graduated from Holyoke High School and Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. As many fuel companies are family operated, few keep the enterprise going through so many generations. The key to Whiting’s growth is dedicated to high quality, personalized services to homeowners. “We’re out there 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. That’s more than most doctors on call,” says Richard Whiting. The company has 8 equipped service vans, driven by state licensed technicians along with 9 fuel tracks for daily deliveries. Our technicians are typically graduates from the New England Fuel Institutes Oil Burner School in Watertown, MA. Their expertise keeps Whiting Energy up-to-date for repairs and new installations of state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems.

Whiting has continually adapted to the growing demand for other energy sources, underlying with a commitment to the highest level of service.