Fueling a Legacy: The Three-Generation Journey of Cliff’s Local Market

The Vision of Jack Clifford Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Jack Clifford lived an incredible American life. After graduating from Fayetteville Manlius High School, he entered the United States Air Force and served his country during the Korean War. In the 1950s, he began a lifelong career in the oil industry working as a sales representative for Richfield Oil Company.

It wasn’t long before Jack realized he had the knowledge and ability to branch out on his own, and so he founded Clifford Fuel Company in 1961 with just five employees. The company started as a supplier of home heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas, farm gas, and diesel fuel.

A Decisive Decade In the infant stages of the business, Clifford Fuel Company was headquartered in Dolgeville; however, by 1966, Jack was expanding the company’s services as well as its market reach and moved the company to Utica. Clifford Fuel Company continued to grow into the early 1970s, a decade in which Jack was able to separate himself from many of his competitors. Fuel shortages plagued the industry during that time, but Jack had established a strong relationship with Chevron, who was able to help him fill demand in the local area when others could not. Throughout the 70s, Jack began building gas stations across Central New York, making Clifford Fuel Company a household name in the region.

The Second Generation & Nice N Easy In 1980, Jack’s son Jim graduated from college and joined the family business. With vast growth opportunities on the horizon, Clifford Fuel Company needed strong leadership to fulfill its potential in the coming decades. The fuel industry was evolving during that time and the gas station/convenience store model was sweeping the country.

During the 1980s, Jack formed a franchising junction with John McDougle, founder of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes and Clifford Fuel stations were now rebranded as Nice N Easy locations. As Jim continuously proved his capabilities, Jack felt comfortable leaving the company in his son’s hands. Jack passed away in 2004. From the 1980s to the mid-2010s, Jim led Clifford Fuel through a tremendous period of growth as he consistently purchased new properties and became a franchisee of Subway Restaurants.

The Birth of Cliff’s Local Market As their operation expanded, so did Clifford Fuel Company’s staff and again, they moved their headquarters, this time to River Road in Marcy (their current location). In 2014, Nice N Easy founder John McDougle passed away and that company was bought out. Jim, who at that point was joined in business by his sons Jimmy and Mike, had a difficult decision to make.

The Cliffords and their management team were adamant that the company would never compromise the quality standards and connection with the community it had established over more than fifty years. In 2017, they decided to leave the Nice N Easy franchise and rebranded each of their seventeen locations as Cliff’s Local Market.

Jim, Jimmy, Mike, and the dedicated Clifford Fuel staff worked tirelessly to develop the Cliff’s Local Market brand. Several locations were completely demolished and rebuilt into larger stores with an exponentially greater product selection. Today, Cliff’s offers a huge selection of food items including breakfast sandwiches, pizzas, subs, wraps, melts, and salads—they also offer catering services.

More Than a Convenience Store Anyone who lives in the area likely knows that community involvement is among the top priorities of Clifford Fuel Company. They are proud supporters and participants in "Stuff the Bus," the Kelberman Center, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Boilermaker Road Race, the Utica Comets, and many other causes.

There’s no question that Jack Clifford would be proud of Jim, Jimmy, and Mike for what they’ve made from his creation; however, the Clifford Fuel/Cliff’s family extends far beyond Jack’s direct decedents. The many staff members at their corporate headquarters and twenty-one locations are the "fuel" that powers the engine. It takes a lot of capable hands to steer such a large ship. It all began by the business acumen of one man but has developed into a mainstay driven by an entire community.

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