The very first Hess gas station opened in New Jersey way back 1960. It was then owned by the Amerada Petroleum Corporation, a Fortune 100 company that was dedicated to exploring, producing, transporting and developing refined crude oil and natural gas throughout North America. While the parent company continued its operations locally and overseas, successfully setting up operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Equatorial Guinea, and effectively establishing relationship with countries like Malaysia and Thailand, its retail arm, Hess filling stations and convenient stores, flourished to about 1,360 outlets, literally dominating the United States East Coast.