On February 15, 1973, Leon McBride along with his brother James A. "Jimmy" McBride purchased the Gulf Distributorship in Aliceville, Alabama, from D.B. Love and Dennis Herndon.

Mr. Love started the business in the 1940s. He also was one of the founders of what is now the First National Bank of Central Alabama.

Jimmy McBride worked for Mr. Love for 17 years as a bobtail truck driver. Leon McBride was a cattleman, farmer, trucker, and a Moorman Feed salesman and district manager. One day while paying for his fuel, Leon overheard Mr. Love and Mr. Herndon discussing with Jimmy their intentions to sell the business. Realizing fuel was his largest expense each month, Leon saw this as a great business opportunity. He immediately set out for he and Jimmy to purchase the distributorship.

Leon and Jimmy renamed the company McBride Brothers Distributors. Three months later the oil embargos hit and the business changed dramatically yet continued to grow and prosper for the brothers.

In 1977, under the advisement of Leon's long-time friend and accountant, Oliver Phillips, the McBrides incorporated the company into what is now McBride Oil Company. Jimmy served as president and Leon served as secretary/treasurer. Jimmy's wife Marilyn and Leon's wife Bettye also served as vice presidents.

Also at this time Gulf was changing its way of doing business by eliminating distributors and setting up "jobber" programs. In this system, there were no longer territories and the jobbers paid all of their own expenses.

McBride Oil took advantage of Gulf's new system and expanded into Greene and Sumpter Counties along the interstate. Afterwards, British Petroleum purchased Gulf. Gradually Gulf was phased out completely for BP. At the same time of the BP buy out the Tennessee Tombigbee River Project started. Leon was able to cut deals with most of the companies working on the river project to deliver their fuel needs. The large sales greatly helped McBride Oil continue its growth through the 80s.

Following Jimmy's retirement in 1991, Leon purchased Jimmy's shares in the company and became sole stockholder and president. Leon's son Jason also joined the company. By 1995, the company expanded to more than 300 employees after building the York Travel Plaza truck stop, Days Inn hotel, and several convenience stores located in West Alabama and East Mississippi.