Not a day goes by that Shane Casey, the third generation president of Casey Energy, doesn’t appreciate the road that was so tirelessly paved by his grandfather, William H. Casey [Bill]. The spirit of Bill Casey remains close. The office Casey works in, and the desk he rests his elbows on, are the same office and desk his grandfather used to build the company. Bill Casey invested his life savings so he could start his own oil company.
In 1949, after working as a salesman for a large oil company on Long Island, Bill Casey decided to go it alone. The spirited entrepreneur purchased an oil truck and Casey Fuel was born. Bill Casey, known by the Ridgefield community as “Casey the Oilman”, rented a home on West Lane, next to Jesse Lee church. “He would park the truck behind his house,” chuckles Casey. Without the funds to pay a staff, Casey the Oilman did it all- including delivering the oil himself. His hard work paid off in 1951, after just two years, he was able to purchase his first house for his family on Main Street. Casey the Oilman ran the business out of the garage, just behind the main residence. The day to day operation of the business still takes place in this location.
Bill Casey grew Casey Fuel for 30 years until 1979, when he awarded the business to his son Michael Casey who was president of the company until 2007.
Casey always admired his grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit. “If my grandfather didn’t take a big risk buying an oil truck 60 years ago, we wouldn’t have any of this,” explains Casey. However, Casey had other plans for his career.
“I was 27 when I decided I wanted to be part of the business,” explains Casey. He shared that news with his dad during a father son scuba diving trip which came just a day after Casey, who was employed by a software company, found out he had lost his job. “I told my dad that I was thinking of getting my MBA and that I’d like to work with him,” explains Casey. After working alongside his father for four years, in 2007, Michael named his son, Shane the third generation president of the company. This transition of Casey Fuel to the third generation has beaten the odds. According to Inc Magazine, only about 13 percent of family businesses are passed onto the third generation.
In 2008, Michael Casey passed away after a long illness. “My dad’s passing coincided with the world economy plunging,” says Casey. Soon after, the normally steady price of heating oil plunged rapidly and forced Casey into a challenging environment he could not have prepared for. In a matter of months, Casey recalls, “Everybody wanted out of their contracts.” Generations of Casey’s before him had never encountered oil markets like this. But, Casey persevered and believes the company grew stronger than ever. “It took a few years to recover,” admits Casey.
Casey will not rest on his laurels. “We have to stay relevant, if I was doing the same things he was doing, we wouldn’t be successful. As a 3rd generation, it’s important not to be afraid to try new things,” he explains.
After 60 years Casey boldly decided to change the direction of the company. “We are in the home comfort business, not necessarily the oil business,” explains Casey. Casey now provides his customers with air-conditioning service and propane sales. Casey wants the company his grandfather started prepared for a future that will have a variety of energy solutions - such as biofuel, propane, and natural gas. “I don’t see oil going away too soon, but we’ll begin to see a blending,” explains Casey. “Whatever it is that heats our homes, I want to be in the position to deliver it,” he adds.
Casey changed the name of the company to reflect the shift in direction from Casey Fuel to Casey Energy, and created a new green logo to represent the cleaner fuels representing Casey’s vision of the future.
Today, there are 15 vehicles bearing the Casey name – a name that Casey works hard every day to uphold. “It’s a legend now, my dad always told his field workers to treat every customer like they were my best friend. It’s a business built on relationships,” explains Casey. Knowing his customers by name, while at the same time having the sophistication to offer them all of the products and services of a large company, sets Casey Energy apart. “There is and always will be a Mr. Casey that a customer can speak to,” says Casey.
While the decades have brought about an immense amount of change to the world and what fuels it, there are certain principles that have stood the test of time. Taking care of customers doesn’t end when the sunsets each day; rather, Casey is on call 24/7, 365 days a year. “Customers let us in to their homes in the middle of the night. They trust us to keep them warm in the winder and cool in the summer.” This means plowing driveways so fuel can be delivered in the dead of winter and no matter what it takes, assuring the comfort and safety of customers. Casey recalls, “An elderly New Canaan resident had a major issue with her unit and we didn’t feel it was safe for her to stay at home. It was going to be a few days to get the parts to fix her problem so we put her up at the Roger Sherman Inn.”
Casey and his wife, Ridgefield native Suzanne Spielman, are raising their family in the same Main Street home in which his Casey’s dad was raised. “The house has been in our family since 1951. My kids are 4th generation Casey’s,” he says. Casey can measure his commute from his home to his office in steps instead of miles. “My grandfather walked this same walk,” says Casey. But, Bill Casey didn’t have a travel companion. Every morning, Casey walks out his back porch door to the office accompanied by his 10 year old rescue dog, Jackson. “Jack” spends the work day with the staff, some of which have been with the company for more than a quarter century.
To Casey, the definition of a family business goes beyond blood relatives. “We had a driver retire a few years back who was with us for 35 years. Another driver is retiring this year after 30 years,” says Casey. And, shocking as it may seem, one of the Casey’s employees, who works in the front office, remembers Casey when he was just seven years old. “If you treat your employees like family, they will treat your customers like family. This is the cornerstone of our business,” explains Casey.
With two children aged two and three in tow, could Casey Energy become a fourth generation business? “It would be my greatest joy to pass on the business to Quinn or Maggie, but I’d never force them,” says Casey.
Photo credit: caryn leigh posnansky