History

The Beginnings

In 1958 Ewart Mayes bought a small White Rose fuel location. It was a 3-person operation at the time, with 1 delivery truck, 1 pickup truck, and a small fuel loading rack in the yard. Mervin Martin, a farmer in Ivy and a bookkeeper at the location came with the sale of the company. The two partnered in 1961 and together they would work tirelessly to grow and improve their newly formed Mayes-Martin Limited.

For the first four years, Mayes-Martin Ltd. (formerly White Rose) was a subset of Canadian Oil Co. In 1962 Shell Canada purchased Canadian Oil, marking the beginning of a longstanding partnership that lasted over 40 years.

The Next Generation

Don Martin, the son of Mervin Martin, began working with the company straight out of high school in 1963. He started as a driver, then worked his way up into dispatch allowing him to fully understand how Mayes-Martin operated. 10 years later Mervin retired, giving Don the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps and manage the company.

Shane Mayes, the son of Ewart Mayes, began work at the company in 1985. Shane had graduated from Business Administration at Georgian College 5 years prior. He gained work experience elsewhere before starting at Mayes-Martin. Upon joining the company Shane worked alongside the administrative staff to learn the inner workings of the company before moving into a management role. He bought out his father in 1988.

Shawn Fullan, the stepson of Don Martin, began working at Mayes-Martin in 1997. He worked his way through the ranks just like Don did. Driving the fuel trucks, working in dispatch then learning the ropes of management before taking over his stepfather’s position in 2008 upon Don’s retirement. In 2015, Shawn purchased Shane’s remaining 50% stake in Mayes-Martin to become the sole owner.

Growth

In the early years Mayes-Martin primarily served rural customers. As Simcoe County saw increased manufacturing and industrial growth we worked to better serve the needs of those businesses too. We added more trucks to our fleet, increased our selection of unique lubricants, and made ourselves the premier fuel supplier to more customers within the city.

1960

1960’s and 70’s 

Mayes-Martin saw steady growth. We worked towards increasing our local presence, both in and out of the city. Through relying on word of mouth and our reputation we grew larger, hiring more drivers, increasing our office staff, and improving our operations to serve the customer better.

1980

1980’s 

Mayes Martin saw the construction of a brand-new office, warehouse, and showroom after growing out of the legacy location. At this time Mayes-Martin also noticed a customer need for auto parts. We expanded our showroom inventory to account for this, but the demand exceeded our expectations.

1990

1990’s

The formation of AutoPlus, a new division of the company dedicated entirely to automotive supply. We purchased additional retail and warehouse space and hired more staff to operate this new venture. Ultimately, Shane and Don decided AutoPlus did not align with Mayes-Martin’s goals and sold the company just a few years later to fund the development of our Barrie card lock. Within the same decade came the opening of our Orillia and Midland locations, and rapid growth of our delivered fuels. We became a local leader in marine fueling, serving many of the largest marinas in the Simcoe-Muskoka area.

2000

2000’s

The early 2000's until today have included our separation from Shell fuels to flying our own flag, the expansion into propane delivery, and many technological advancements within Mayes-Martin. As market trends and customer needs continue to shift, we are constantly developing ways to better serve our valuable customers.