Friendship fueled long-time partnership
Local men sell Ashby Oil, Leominster man buys company
By Caitlyn Kelleher Journal Staff Reporter

Richard Catalini and Matt Peeler recently sold Ashby Oil, the company they founded in September 1983. Journal Photo/Caitlyn Kelleher

Two local men who worked together since 1963 are getting ready to retire together after selling their business earlier this fall.

Richard Catalini and Matt Peeler said their long-standing friendship was always kept separate from the business.

"Matt knows trucks and I know the paperwork," Catalini said. "It works out pretty well."

The two 68-year-old Ashby residents worked together at Peterbrough Oil beginning in 1963. While working with Ashby Oil, Peeler kept his job with Peterborough until about three years ago, when he retired from there. Catalini worked for a credit union when they opened Ashby Oil in September 1983.

"We started with no customers," Peeler said.

The men bought a 1962 truck for their deliveries and worked out of Peeler's kitchen.

"I never thought we'd get to be anymore than a small-town oil business," Catalini said.

The company now serves 26 towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

"How far we've gotten is amazing," he said.

Peeler said one reason they've succeeded

is that once they've attracted customers, they don't lose them.

"We really truly ran a 24-hour service here," he said.

They slowly grew, adding more staff, buying more trucks and opening their headquarters on Route 31. It took Catalini about four years before he thought the business would continue to survive.

Over the years the business has changed, with more regulations governing and tracking the sale of oil - creating more paperwork for them.

The pair sold to Mark Brideau of Leominster after deciding this was simply the right time to retire ... well mostly retire.

"Work is fun as long as you don't end up doing too much of it," Peeler said. Catalini joked that "you can't stop cold turkey."

Peeler plans on driving a truck if the need occurs, and Catalini is still putting in a couple hours a week in the office.

"But we can travel, even though this is heating season," Catalini said.

The pair decided to sell the business after determining none of their family members or employees was interested in taking it over.

"We've known Mark for quite a while," Catalini said. "He's friendly. He has a similar business."

In fact their customers will have more service options because of what Brideau offers, he said.

"It was a nice merger at this point," Brideau said.

Brideau founded his oil company 19 years ago in Leominster. His father owned a Worcester-based oil company until the early 1980s.

"There are a lot of large companies, but I'm still a small business guy," he said.

He said he has done everything from deliveries to repairs to billing.

He formed the company in Leominster because that was where he lived and where he grew up.

"I grew up with the business," Brideau said.