Email: "Hurley Brothers in Lake Placid turns 100"
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LAKE PLACID — One of the oldest businesses in Lake Placid turns 100 years old this month — Hurley Bros. Inc.

In 1909, James, John and Matthew Hurley constructed the Hurley Bros. building across the street from the American House, which they owned and operated. The next year, the brothers made an agreement with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad to provide an unloading facility for coal. One century and four generations after that first foray into heating fuel sales, Hurley Bros. remains one of Lake Placid’s best known and longest running family businesses.

“We’ve been here a long time and it’s lucky, it’s rare,” said Bill Hurley, co-owner and manager of the business.

Hurley’s great-grandfather and his great-grandfather’s brother were the founders of the company. Evidence of Hurley Bros.’ long history can be found around their office — an ancient cash register, clippings from a 1917 issue of the Lake Placid News and old, faded photographs of the American House. This month marks the 100th year of the building on Station Street across from Jewtraw Park.

To supplement the coal business, in the 1920s Hurley Bros. became the first franchise north of Albany to sell Mobil Oil. The company delivered oil to its customers out of barrels and five-gallon cans — amazingly small amounts by today’s standards. Propane service began in the 1950s.

Hurley grew up in Lake Placid and worked in the family business during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, helping to deliver oil from midnight until 4 a.m. because that was the only time the trucks were allowed on the congested roads. After attending Clemson University in South Carolina and spending some time in the southwest, Hurley returned to work in the family business. “I think a lot of people have to go away,” he said. “But you notice a lot of people end up coming back here. The world comes here, we don’t have to go see the world. When you go out you see people from all over the world, and there’s always something special going on with the events.”

A plus of doing business in a small town for Hurley is getting to know the customers. The company has more than 2,000 customers from Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Wilmington, and many of them have been buying from Hurley Bros. for generations.

“I can remember my father dealing with people and now we’re dealing with their kids,” Hurley said. “It’s fun to have the same families in the same houses. It’s nice to have continuity with your customers like that.”

Although the company weathered the Great Depression, Hurley admitted he was a little bit worried about the current economic climate.

“It’s going to affect all our customers,” he said. “Pricing is always a big concern. You have to be able to provide a product people can afford. I don’t think it’s going to destroy us, but it’s a challenge.”

The secret to their success, Hurley said, is loyal employees as well as loyal customers.

“The relationships you have with your customers makes it easier to do business,” he said. “If there’s a problem, we work it out face to face, and I think people appreciate that.”

These days, Hurley Bros. still sells oil and propane, but that doesn’t mean they always will — Hurley Bros. will have to change and adapt to future trends in Americans’ energy consumption.

“We might get into solar in the future,” Hurley said. “We are always looking, whether it be in the energy business or something else, we are still young and we are still going to try to do something more.”

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