Our History

A Unique Oil Company

Think Cross, and you will discover a unique oil company--a company whose roots go back to 1923. The place, a euphoric Arkansas boom town, was aptly named Smackover. This quaint little town was deluged with people---drillers, roughnecks, promoters, thieves, doctors, lawyers--all eager to get rich. In this unlikely atmosphere, Henry H. Cross elected to build a small refinery and founded the Henry H. Cross Company.

Today, our name is Cross Oil Refining & Marketing, Inc. and we are still located in Smackover. The town is much smaller, now, but over the years Cross has shown substantial growth while remaining a somewhat unusual oil company.

A Dedicated, Customer Oriented Supplier

When one gets to know Cross, they will discover a unique, customer-oriented company that supplies base oils and specialty oils tailored to a specific customer base. We still exhibit the same dedication as Henry H. Cross when he opened for business in 1923. We listen to our customers, learn their requirements, and build a knowledge of their applications, thus enabling us to fulfill our commitment to them. Cross supplies more than an oil product, we meet a need--in fact, we play a major role in the production of our customer's end products.

Cross manufactures oils with a high degree of consistency by controlling the entire supply chain--from crude oil shipment, to refining, to delivery of the final product. All products are produced exclusively at our centrally located Smackover refinery, a modern facility featuring the latest, state-of-the-art, multistage hydrotreating for producing superior quality oils that meet or exceed customer demands.