Fueling the Future: How Three Generations of Griffins Lead the Energy Industry

By Steve Griffin, Partner Downstream Energy Group (DEG) and our newest company, Downstream Energy Properties (DEP), are legacy companies born from the ideals of original founders, Ruben and Ginny Griffin. A lot has changed in three generations, but the Griffin standard of “doing business the right way” has remained the cornerstone of every Griffin company….

A Brief Account of the Beginning of Gas Stations and Convenience Stores

By Sutton Wester, Senior Associate North of Chouteau on Theresa Avenue in St. Louis: the birthplace of the gas station. In 1905, Harry Grenner and Clem Laessig opened the first drive-in filling station for motorists, consisting of a gravity-fed tank with what looked like a rudimentary garden hose attached to its base.1 When a customer drove…