Letter: Ren’s Mobil On Brink Of Foreclosure.  Go Fund Me Campaign Launched To Help

I am sending some information that may be of interest as a follow-up to an article that appeared in the Boston Globe on June 9, 2022 concerning Ren’s Mobil in Amherst. That article states “Ren re-opened in July under a new distributer and has been selling gas for cash only at well below the prices of other stations. And still pumping it by hand for all of us. 

This following was posted on Facebook yesterday  by Ren Gladu’s daughter. 

“My father lost his own dad when he was 16 years old and I think it instilled some of the deep rooted work ethic in him, that he has applied to running his own business in downtown Amherst where my family lives, for the last 49 years. He is 81 years old and still works 7 days a week, alongside my oldest brother who currently helps him run the station that both of my brothers and I, many family friends, two of my nephews, and hundreds of college students across the 5 College area have worked at over the years. When gas prices began to skyrocket earlier this year my dad made a very difficult decision to stop selling the gas he was under contract to sell from a major oil company. He felt they were reaping profits at the expense of his loyal customer base and he refused to be a part of something he felt was pure corporate greed. This decision has had major ramifications as he became in breach of his contract and although he found another distributor to sell him gas at a lower cost so he could eventually sell gas to his clients again, he is now being sued by his original distributor. My father is a small business owner who has lived for his job, his customers and his hometown. He is now being penalized for trying to do the right thing by a major corporation who puts profits above people and despite his integrity, devotion and the lifelong relationships he has built in Amherst because of who he is as a person, he may lose everything. My family cannot afford to pay the legal fees on both sides of this fight, nor the amount they are being sued for. Without help, their property and business will be foreclosed upon and auctioned off in early September. It is with this heartbreaking reality upon us that we’re putting pride aside and asking for help. Please see link and consider donating to the GoFundMe page established by several of my dad’s customers, out of the graciousness and goodness of their hearts.

Go Fund Me Campaign For Ren’s Mobil here.

The impact of this potential loss to our community is immense. We can well imagine this is happening all over the country. 

Robin Jaffin

Robin Jaffin is a resident of Amherst