Sam K. Carter founded CarterEnergy Corporation in 1960. He began his career pumping gas at a Mobil station in Liberty, Missouri, and six months later became the lessee/operator. Soon after, he became the first Phillips 66 retailer allowed to operate more than one site.
From 1971 to 1985, Carter continued to diversify the business, purchasing a bulk plant and supplying fuel commercially with a small fleet of tankwagons, as well as becoming a wholesale fuel marketer to convenience stores. Today, CarterEnergy markets and distributes 141 different energy products to both retail and commercial businesses within the Midwest and Gulf regions.