Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest
American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf
Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil magnates. Gulf was one of the
chief instruments of the legendary Mellon fortune. Both Gulf and Mellon Bank had
their headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Gulf's former headquarters,
originally referred to as "the Gulf Building" (now the Gulf Tower office
condos), is an art-deco skyscraper. The tallest building in Pittsburgh until
1970, when it was eclipsed by the U.S. Steel building, it is capped by a "step
pyramid" structure several stories high. Until the late 1970s, the entire top
was illuminated, changing color with changes in barometric pressure to provide
a weather indicator that could be seen for many miles.
Gulf Oil Corporation
(GOC) ceased to exist as an independent company in 1984, when it merged
with Standard Oil of California (otherwise known as SOCAL or Chevron). However,
the Gulf brand name and a number of the constituent business divisions of GOC
survived. Gulf has experienced a significant revival since 1990, emerging as
a flexible network of allied business interests based on partnerships, franchises
and agencies. The network trades worldwide using the slogan "Your Local Global
Brand."
Gulf, in its present incarnation, is a "New Economy" business.
It employs very few people directly and its assets are mainly in the form
of intellectual property: brands, product specifications and scientific expertise.
The corporate vehicle at the center of the Gulf network outside North America
is Gulf Oil International Ltd (GOI), a company registered in the Cayman Islands
since 1985. The ultimate holding company of GOI is Amas Holding SA (Luxembourg),
an investment trust. Gulf's research and product development base is in
Mumbai, India. Its business development function is run from London, United Kingdom.
The company's focus is primarily in the provision of downstream products
and services to a mass market through joint ventures, strategic alliances, licensing
agreements, and distribution arrangements. |
