Sept. 18, 2009
Superior Telegram

Four join Superior Business Hall of Fame
By Maria Lockwood

If you pair vision with tenacity, you get a rough template for the four men who were inducted into the Superior Business Hall of Fame on Thursday during a Superior Business Awards luncheon.

Whether designing ships, selling furniture, developing the first synthetic motor oil or founding a trucking company, they made a lasting impact on Superior’s economy.

“What an extraordinary group of individuals,” said Andy Lisak, executive director of the Development Association. “Each of these men represents an important part of Superior/Douglas County’s economy and heritage.”

The men honored were Capt. Alexander McDougall, Harry A. Lurye, William D. Vinje and Albert J. Amatuzio.

Albert Amatuzio

When Amatuzio meets with AMSOIL Inc. dealers in the U.S. or Canada, many just want to get close enough to touch him.

“Al is a rock star,” said Judy Greely, Amatuzio’s executive administrator. Yet the energetic AMSOIL owner doesn’t put himself on a pedestal.

“He remembers his roots,” Greely said. “He goes over to the plant and says ‘Hi.’ They love him.”

Even after flying over the entire U.S. as a military fighter pilot, Amatuzio returned to Superior to formulate and market AMSOIL, the first synthetic motor oil.

“This is my home,” he said.

The first can of AMSOIL 10W-40 appeared on the market in 1972, changing the face of the lubricants market.

“[Amatuzio] could have put his business anywhere,” Lisak said. “But he chose Superior and grew it from a one- or two- person shop out of a garage to now over 250 employees occupying one of the largest buildings in the city of Superior, and his AMSOIL products are sold throughout the world. And every box and every bottle has the name Superior, Wisconsin, on the bottom.”