Bankruptcy spotlights vast business empire of reclusive Flying J - Salt Lake Tribune
When Flying J filed for bankruptcy last month, the fiercely private firm thrust itself under an uncomfortable light, revealing that even high-flying energy companies can succumb to the pressures of collapsing oil prices and tight credit.
"It was the first of a number of small refiners that we will see on the radar this year. I don't think it will be the last bankruptcy," said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service.
Flying J's predicament illustrates the pickle many oil companies find themselves in today. After several years of strong profits capped by record run-ups in gasoline and diesel prices in 2008, the bottom has fallen out of the energy market because of weak demand and the global recession.
To call Flying J an oil company is like saying Apple is only about computers. Over its 40-year life, the company's holdings have come to resemble a conglomerate. Its numerous subsidiaries have carved footholds in an array of businesses with petroleum at their base.
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