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News.
ARG Chairman, CEO Harry Halloran Jr. passes
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VILLANOVA, Pa. – American Refining Group Inc. (ARG) Chief Executive Officer and Board Chairman Harry Halloran Jr. passed away Dec. 18 at home, surrounded by his family.
“My father lived an extraordinary life,” his son, Neil Halloran, said. “He was a businessperson, a philanthropist, a husband and a father. He was a big thinker and a kind soul. He pursued so many interests, launched so many ventures and impacted so many lives.”
Harry purchased the historic Bradford facility from Witco in 1997 when, after acquisition by Sun Oil Co., the refinery had lost its brand.
“In Pursuit of the Greater Good: Community, Continuity and the ARG Refinery,” the book that recounts that fateful story, quotes Harry, “It was very exciting to walk through this complex refinery – twenty times more complex than anything I had seen in all my years in the transmix business.
“From that first visit,” he recalled, “we had a gut sense about the people we met, the town of Bradford, and the need to keep this small refinery alive.”
In 2017, when ARG marked 20 years’ ownership of the Bradford refinery, the company renamed a private road for Harry. Formerly Brad Penn Way, the road running in front of ARG’s Main Office and Research & Development buildings just off North Kendall Avenue in the city of Bradford is now known as Halloran Way.
ARG President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Giberson said, “It’s the Halloran Way – not only the way ARG’s refinery does business, but also the road that runs through it. The designation recognized Harry’s commitment to ARG, its employees, all of its partners and the community.”
The refinery, established in 1881, will mark its 25th anniversary as ARG in 2022.
“Anyone who shared time with my father – even a short interaction – probably witnessed his extraordinary positivity,” Neil said. “His capacity to see a bright future during the most trying of times allowed him to see the potential in this refinery when he purchased it 24 years ago, and to push forward during the years when so many predicted it would be shut down.”
Effective immediately, Neil assumes leadership as ARG Chairman of the Board. Neil explained the plan for him to gradually take on this role has been in place for some time. When Harry suffered a stroke four years ago, Neil was named lead director and he began working closely with Harry and the ARG leadership team.
Neil said, “It is the aim of the Halloran family, the board and the leadership team to maintain continuity in the company’s management.
“Despite the difficulties of these past years, Dad was able to pass on knowing that ‘the little refinery that could’ was stronger than ever and pushing ahead at full steam.”
Harry was a dedicated philanthropist and, in that spirit, ARG encourages its employees’ community involvement, generosity and volunteerism. Brian Fernandes-Halloran, another of Harry’s four sons (Mark and Kevin), is executive director of Halloran Philanthropies, established to promote human wellbeing and to create “The World We All Want.”
Corporately, ARG donates thousands of dollars annually, and thousands more are contributed through its employee-donation-matching program to other local non-profit organizations and relief efforts. The matching-gifts program allows for any donation made to a 501(c)(3) organization to be matched, dollar for dollar (up to $500 per request, per year), by the company.
ARG focuses its charitable giving on education, economic development, human services and health care. The company advances its community development efforts through a commitment to keeping its dollars local and to giving back at every feasible opportunity.
The company employs more than 350 people in its Ohio, Bradford and Pittsburgh offices and maintains relationships with local contractors and providers of other goods and services. The refinery acquires more than 3 million barrels of light, sweet, paraffinic crude oil annually, the majority of which comes from suppliers in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio.
ARG’s was the first refinery to achieve Made in USA certification, having successfully completed the rigorous, third-party supply chain audit to verify compliance with strict standards. ARG proudly bears these trust marks today as an integral part of its heritage and its future.
Harry’s full obituary will be shared when available.
For more information about ARG, visit www.amref.com or follow the refinery on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Media contact:
Sara Furlong
Executive Communications Coordinator