Lone Star Chemical’s founder, Michael A. McAlister, remains an active member of our team, and his story can also be found in the “About Us” page on this website.

Mike was born in Dallas, Texas, on December 27, 1946, and graduated from Big Spring High School before earning a BBA from Texas Tech University in 1969. He was hired by Fina Oil and Chemical Company at that time, and he worked and trained at the Big Spring Petro-Chemical Refinery plant for one year before transferring to Fina’s national headquarters in Manhattan, New York, to be a sales manager for their polystyrene line.

After several years in New York and working his way up to national sales manager, Mike approached the VP of Marketing, Mr. Ken Nauman, and asked if they would be interested in allowing him to be a national distributor for Fina. This meant leaving Fina for a startup of his own. Fina consented, and Lone Star Chemical was born in 1974. In its earliest decades, Lone Star distributed for Fina only.

The move was a gamble, but Lone Star became at the time the only distributorship for Fina in the South and West. The new company brought on accounts that are still around today, such as Sweetheart Cup company (now Solo) and Igloo, to name just a couple. Lone Star Chemical is still going strong as a well respected family-owned plastics distribution business more than 50 years later!