A Norfolk Tradition Looks to the Future

By Colleen Gundlach 

The company now known as A.B. Bazzano Fuels has been a part of Norfolk history since 1937, when John C. Bazzano, Sr. opened John C. Bazzano & Son, a business that sold ice and coal. As coal gave way to oil, the business evolved and in 1955 was taken over by John C. Bazzano, Jr. and renamed Bazzano Oil. Over the years the business was operated by the Bazzano family until August 2008 when it was bought out by A&B Plumbing, owned by Alan Boucher and Bob Peterson, and became A.B. Bazzano Fuels. It has been a mainstay of life in Norfolk ever since. 

In May, Boucher and Peterson announced that A.B. Bazzano Fuels has joined forces with a well-respected company, Taylor Energy, to expand the services offered to Norfolk area residents. “This has been a three-year project to find the right buyer,” said Boucher. “We didn’t want to work with a big, national company. We wanted a company who would take the time to know our neighbors by name and provide the same personalized service we always have. We even hired a broker from Boston to weed out the companies that didn’t meet our criteria for ethics and customer service. We found that Taylor Energy has the same core values as our company, and we are happy to be working with them.” 

Catherine Erasmus purchased Taylor Energy over eight years ago, but she was no novice to the business. “My dad owned part of State Line Oil in Granby since it started in 1964, and I learned from him directly, from a young age.” So, when Taylor Energy went on the market, she jumped at the opportunity to operate her own business. Then, when she recently heard that A.B. Bazzano was looking to expand, it felt like a perfect fit since her husband, Steve, has family in this part of the state. 

Taylor Energy’s home office is located in Broad Brook, Conn., where they are able to get oil whenever needed from the more than one million gallons they have stored on-site. “We have the ability to provide oil for emergency heating whenever necessary,” she says. 

Providing help to the community is a big goal of Taylor Energy. To that end, the company participates in Oil Heat Cares, a nonprofit organization that assists people or organizations that need help in replacing their heating equipment, such as oil or propane boilers, furnaces, etc. Oil Heat Cares and their partners identify people in their neighborhoods who are in need and supply the equipment and labor free of charge. Erasmus says that her company had been able to help some people who had fallen on hard times and were “in a world of hurt” by putting in a new boiler or oil tank for them. “One of our goals at Taylor Energy is to give help where it is needed,” she says. 

Combining the companies, Boucher says, will allow A.B. Bazzano to expand into selling propane through Taylor Energy’s full propane and heating oil division and will allow greater focus on additional services such as air conditioning and duct cleaning, while still maintaining full plumbing service.   

The company’s official name in Norfolk will be A.B. Bazzano Fuels, a Division of Taylor Energy. Boucher and Peterson will remain in the Norfolk office, though they both are looking to transition out at some time in the future. Steve Erasmus will be working in the Norfolk office daily, while Catherine will divide her time between the two offices. 

All of the current employees in Norfolk will remain with the business, so local customers will still see the same familiar faces delivering their oil and doing repairs in their homes.  

Peterson expressed thanks for the great customer relationships A.B. Bazzano has enjoyed over the years. “We want to thank our loyal customers for the many years they have stood by us and for their years of support,” he says. 

Boucher agrees. “We have had incredible customer loyalty over the years, and we hope it will continue. The changes we have made are for the better, and we know that our customers will like working with us because Taylor Energy understands the needs of a small town. We are looking forward to meeting all of Norfolk’s plumbing and heating requests in the future.” 

To read more about Taylor Energy and their plans, go to taylorenergyct.com.