Gary Christensen doesn’t know what it means to take shortcuts in life or in business. With a passion for hunting that has taken him all over the world, his coveted trophy room has over 140 specimens on display. As a regular contributor to Safari Club magazine, he enjoys sharing his expertise for hunting with enthusiasts everywhere. For Gary, the fuel that drives his success at hunting is the same that drives his business acumen- instinct.
As one of the top fifteen privately owned companies in the state of Washington, Powell Christensen thrives because of the personality and dogged work ethic of its CEO. Gary’s business savvy is trumped only by his love of family. And with five sons and ten grandchildren, it’s easy to see that he’s a family man at heart. In fact, combining family and business was a natural transition for Gary and a professional strategy that proved to be invaluable. As head of one of the largest fuel distributors in the Pacific Northwest, Gary lives the core values he espouses for his family and his company.
His career began modestly, with Mobil Oil in Portland, OR. Over the years, he transferred happily to fulfill his career requirements, living in Oregon, Seattle, even Los Angeles. In his early thirties, and in line with his risk-taking personality, Gary sold all his assets to invest in a small, unknown company that sold fuel and oil to local farmers. With just a few trucks, a handful of employees and an annual net profit of $14,000, Gary built the company to what it is today. Under his leadership, Powell Christensen has enjoyed record growth and unprecedented success and continues to be that reliable family run business it was designed to be so many years ago.
Gary is a current member of the Chevron Oil Company National Wholesale Council, serves on the Board of Ambassadors for the University of Washington Business and Economic Development Program and is a founding director and a former President of the Central Washington Chapter of Safari Club International. He also serves as a director for Heritage Bank, one of the fastest growing community banks in the state.