CITGO Station Receives 'Standard of Excellence' Award From Dearborn City Beautiful Commission

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dearborn City Beautiful Commission has recognized the locally owned CITGO station at 7954 Greenfield Road in its 2010 Business "Standard of Excellence" program. Bazzi Oil & Gas Company, a local CITGO distributor which owns and operates the station, is one of a select group of Dearborn businesses honored for its work in helping to create an awareness of responsibility and civic pride in the community.

"We are proud to receive the 'Standard of Excellence' award from our city," said Bazzi Oil & Gas owners and brothers Fadel and Hafed Bazzi, who have operated the station since 2009. "Our team has worked very hard over the past year to make improvements to the station – everything from new paint and landscaping to more energy efficient lighting inside and out. Our business model is always to promote excellence in our facilities and our customer service. It is great to have those efforts recognized."

Bazzi Oil & Gas has been in the Detroit metro area since 2000 and currently operates and supplies fuel to multiple gas stations in the region, including the facility on Greenfield Road. As a strong member of the business community, the company provides almost 70 jobs to local residents, pays taxes which support programs and services, and actively participates in area programs including Business United with Officers and Youth (BUOY).

"It is the local businesses like Bazzi Oil & Gas that really keep the economy going. Small businesses account for more than 60 percent of new jobs, which is particularly important these days," said Gustavo Velasquez of CITGO Petroleum Corporation. "Hafed, Fadel and the Bazzi Oil & Gas team are a great example of how the local owners of CITGO stations contribute to the communities they serve. We congratulate them on receiving this honor from the city so quickly after taking over this station."

The Dearborn City Beautiful Commission reviews businesses in commercial areas of Dearborn each year and submits recommendations for recognition of businesses that continue to maintain, improve, and beautify buildings and grounds. The committee then evaluates these for the appropriate award at its annual program. Of the more than 4,000 businesses in Dearborn, only a select few are recognized each year.

CITGO, in alignment with the principles of social development of its shareholder, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is dedicated to helping local businesses and communities, just like Bazzi Oil & Gas and each of the nearly 6,500 CITGO stations across 27 states and the District of Columbia.

The CITGO station at 7954 Greenfield Road in Dearborn is one of more than 300 locally owned CITGO stations in Michigan. Each and every locally owned CITGO station, along with three CITGO terminals in Michigan, supports a wide range of charity and community programs and generates more than 2,300 jobs for Michigan residents.

For more information on CITGO in Michigan visit www.CITGO.com/Michigan.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter, and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information visit www.CITGO.com.

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation