Lewis Oil Company, Inc proudly serves the people of Jackson and Swain Counties and the surrounding areas as the only locally owned and operated fuel distributor. Founded in 1934, Lewis Oil Company was formed under Ernest Lewis and his son T. C. who operated two Esso ( ExxonMobil ) affiliated service stations on either end of downtown Sylva, North Carolina. Over the years, the Esso distributorship became Exxon and T. C. expanded into the heating oil business. In the late 1960's Lewis Oil began serving residential and commercial clients in Western North Carolina. Tim Lewis ( T. C.'s son ) began leading the company in the late 1980's. Since then, the company has grown and expanded and continues to be recognized for its dedication to customer and community service. Lewis Oil Company maintains the Exxon distributorship and now also includes a Valero distributorship, a Monitor Heat System distributorship, On and Off-Road diesel fuel, Kerosene, heating oil, branded and unbranded gasoline, a flagship Exxon convenience store named TopCat's ( T. C.'s nickname during his service in the U.S. Air Force ), as well as many other expanded product lines and services. Read more about those services by clicking here. Tim's wife Margie serves as Executive Secretary for the company and General Manager of the flagship store, and his sons Cory ( and his wife Haize ) and Cody getting involved make Lewis Oil Company a fourth generation family-owned business that maintains the belief that there's no substitution for the integrity, work ethic, and customer care that a family-owned business can provide. T. C. served as the founder of Lewis Oil Company, Inc and the head of the family during his lifetime. He was born and raised in Jackson County, served in the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict, put himself through school at Western Carolina University on the G.I. Bill, and made countless contributions to the people of Jackson County. T. C. proudly served on many boards, committees, as Mayor of Sylva for more than a dozen years, and as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners. With his passing in December of 2003, two tributes were written about Lewis in the Sylva Herald and Asheville Citizen-Times that pretty much sum up everyone's thoughts. An excerpt from one of those written by Carey Phillips and Lynn Hotaling reads, We didn't expect to write another tribute editorial this week, and we're sad that it turned out that way. T.C. Lewis, a man who was always willing to help out, both in his political and personal life, passed away Thursday, and Jackson County lost one of its best. Tim now heads Lewis Oil Company as President and CEO. He is also a lifelong native of Jackson County, former football and baseball star at Sylva-Webster ( now Smoky Mountain ) High School leading teams to a total of three state championships, and is now a dedicated family man passionate about classic cars, being outdoors, hunting, and riding horses. Lewis now also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Jackson Savings Bank and carries on the tradition of giving back to the local community and non-profit organizations through the sponsorship of many annual events. Tim has grown and expanded the distributorship efforts of Lewis Oil Company over the years to now include ExxonMobil, TimCo, and Valero. He has relocated the company headquarters within Jackson County to a more convenient location, been integral in starting T. C. Lewis & Co. Properties, expanded efforts of the flagship convenience store ( TopCat's ), and expanded services and products offered to clients company-wide. Margie ( Tim's wife ) serves as Executive Vice President for Lewis Oil Company and General Manager of TopCat's. Margie was born and raised in the Glenville community of Jackson County and is also a lifelong resident. She comes from a large family with eight siblings, and is now a dedicated mother and wife to her two sons and husband. Margie has grown the retail efforts of TopC