Back in 1961, Morris Simon owned a successful heating-oil distribution company in the Chicago area. As his fleet continued to grow, so did the need for a convenient and efficient
way to refuel his vehicles.
When searching for a solution he realized that other industries had the same fueling needs. That’s when he took matters into his own hands.
Simon opened Petro Vend, a self-service fueling station just west of Chicago. Commercial vehicle drivers would drive up to a pump and simply enter dollar bills to activate the pump and begin fueling.
While extremely efficient and convenient for commercial vehicles, the station was challenged by a number of complications. First, there was no way to restrict who accessed the pumps, which raised eyebrows at the fire station since unattended retailing fueling wasn’t allowed. Security was also an issue as considerable amounts of money were being left at the unattended pumps.
These factors, in addition to the station’s overwhelming success, led to Simon’s decision to establish Petro Vend and dedicate his full attention to commercial refueling solutions. 
Simon’s first widely marketed system was Keegard, which allowed only authorized drivers with a key to access the fueling pumps. Each driver would then be billed individually for a purchase, eliminating the use of cash and security concerns.
Over the next 30 years, Petro Vend grew its business and built a reputation for excellent customer satisfaction, product reliability and technical support. Then in 1989, Petro Vend joined the OPW family.
Today, Petro Vend is the brand name for OPW’s fuel-control systems and software, known to be the most reliable equipment of its kind in the petroleum industry. The Petro Vend
family of fuel-control systems ensures that 24-hour unattended fuel sites, both large and small, have reliable fueling authorization and indisputable transaction tracking for the confident management of commercial and private fleet-fuel supplies. Click here to learn more about our Petro Vend 100® Fuel Control System.