Al Amatuzio: A Heart of Gold

Kerry Johnson|Apr 11, 2017 2:08 PM

To say AMSOIL founder Al Amatuzio leaves behind a legacy is an understatement. He created the first synthetic motor oil in the world to meet American Petroleum Institute (API) service requirements, fathered a beautiful family, built an AMSOIL family of dedicated employees and independent Dealers, and supported numerous causes through his philanthropic ways.

Al loved the Duluth/Superior community. He grew up here and built his life within this close-knit community. Despite numerous offers to relocate the AMSOIL business out of this community, Al remained loyal to his roots.

While Al had many passions, he held a few near and dear to his heart. We’d like to share them with you here.

AMSOIL Northland Law Enforcement K-9 Foundation

Al always had a special place in his heart for dogs and was particularly fond of German Shepards, which are a fixture in many police departments. The Northland K-9 Foundation was created to support the law enforcement K-9 programs of the Duluth, Hermantown, Minn., and Superior Police Departments, and the Douglas and St. Louis County Sheriff’s Offices. “He would tell us if we needed a dog to call him,” said Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken. “He would outright pay for them, and it was multiple dogs. He was a great man and tremendous benefactor to this community.”

Animal Allies

Animal Allies Humane Society strives to ensure a lifetime of loving care for every pet by reducing overpopulation, increasing adoption and fostering humane values. They are guided by a humane ethic to build communities that universally value animals, understand their needs and take action to meet them.

Animal Allies presented this photo to Al as a token of their appreciation, and it proudly hangs above one of our drinking fountains at the Corporate Office here in Superior.

Douglas County Humane Society

The Douglas County Humane Society is dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals, relieving suffering among animals and promoting humane education. The Society provides shelter, medical care and adoption services to abandoned, lost and misplaced animals. They provide services for approximately 1,000 animals each year from the City of Superior and Douglas County.

Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northland is dedicated to ensuring that our community’s youth have greater access to quality programs and services that empower their lives and build great futures. Their mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center

Located in the Duluth Depot, the Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center chronicles local service history dating back to the Civil War. This research center includes photographs, journals, stories and biographies of veterans from northeastern Minnesota who served this nation from the Civil War through Iraq and Afghanistan.

Al began to build his legacy as a proud member of both the Merchant Marine and the U.S. Air Force. He served 25 years as a fighter pilot and squadron commander with the Air National Guard out of Duluth, Minn. Al, nicknamed “Ammo” by his fellow pilots, was twice honored as our nation’s top pilot.

The passion behind Al’s philanthropic history will live on in the Twin Ports and in the hearts of everyone whose life he changed.

Read more about what AMSOIL employees and AMSOIL Dealers had to say about their fearless and lovable leader.

From the Desk of AMSOIL Founder Al Amatuzio:

Al Amatuzio – Founder & CEO of AMSOIL INC

Frequently I take the time to walk through different areas of the company to meet with our employees. My mission is not to ensure that all noses are planted firmly to the grindstone; it is simply to say hello and make sure employees are content and their jobs are going well. Without fail, I meet with smiling faces, and judging from all of the uplifting attitudes it is clear that our people enjoy working at AMSOIL. They take pride in what they do.

I’m not surprised. They have plenty of reason to be proud. It starts, of course, with our products. AMSOIL products perform as advertised. We don’t have to hide behind dubious claims or side-step those issues that concern customers. We want AMSOIL consumers to remain loyal to the brand, and that only happens when performance aligns with expectations. Our employees, and our Dealers, never have to mislead and never have to apologize for product quality.

AMSOIL employees are proud of the corporate environment. Dealers who have attended AMSOIL University or one of our conventions and have seen first-hand our corporate office building and manufacturing plant understand what I mean. A person would be hard pressed to find a cleaner, more efficient operation. Our impressive scope, acute attention to detail and corporate culture are not lost on visitors to AMSOIL. Len Albrecht, project manager for Lakehead Constructors, a company that we frequently employ, sums it up pretty well in a recent article in a local publication called Positively Superior. “AMSOIL is an extremely clean environment, and I know they take a lot of pride in that. Beyond that, it’s the people that really stand out. Everybody you walk by says hello. It makes a positive impact when that is the culture of the entire company.”

In that same article other individuals point to another source of pride shared by our employees, and that is our commitment to the local community.

Whenever possible we employ local vendors. Two trucking companies, Halvor Lines Trucking and Jeff Foster Trucking, have been hauling for us for nearly 40 years. Halvor Lines president Jon Vinje had this to say about his relationship with AMSOIL. “It’s been a long relationship that was started by my father and Al Amatuzio. My dad always taught me the importance of business partnerships. A true partnership needs to be good for both parties, and I truly believe Halvor Lines and AMSOIL have one of these special partnerships.” Vinje added this about our products. “We are extremely pleased with the reduced maintenance costs and increased fuel economy, and it also increases our ability in the cold winter climate. AMSOIL makes a premier product that accomplishes all of the needs for our fleet.”

Our commitment to the local community extends beyond our vendors. Although we make a pointed effort to keep the great majority of the donations we provide well beneath the radar, those causes we support that reach the public eye are yet another source of employee pride. Most recently we established an organization called the AMSOIL Northland Law Enforcement K-9 Foundation. Through this, we lead the effort to ensure that our regional law enforcement agencies are adequately funded for the purchase, training and care of the incredible dogs that aid in crime prevention and help protect our police officers in the field.

Along similar lines, I felt a personal commitment to lend the AMSOIL name to the recently constructed arena in Duluth, Minnesota. This facility is extremely important to the regional economy, and as a long-time resident of Duluth and a former member of the University of Minnesota-Duluth hockey team, which calls this arena home, I felt obliged to provide support. You will see on page 21 of this issue that AMSOIL Arena received this year’s top honors in Stadium Journey Magazine’s search for the best stadium experience in North America. As the top 10 list indicates, we are in some pretty lofty company, and you can be sure we all felt a certain sense of pride in that.

I hope our Dealers feel a similar sense of pride in their AMSOIL Dealerships. This company has worked extremely hard at establishing our brand and gaining respect throughout the industry for integrity and innovation. That’s the foundation on which your Dealership was built. Take pride in what you do and success will follow.

AJ Amutuzio

Category: Al Amatuzio