Questar Corporation was a

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

public utility A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

based in Salt Lake City, Utah. In September 2016, the company was acquired by

Dominion Resources Dominion Energy, Inc., commonly referred to as Dominion, is a North American power and energy company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia that supplies electricity in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and supplies natural gas t ...

History

Questar Corporation was organized in Utah in 1984 as the

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

for Mountain Fuel Supply Company. In 1922, the Ohio Oil Company discovered natural gas near Rock Springs, Wyoming. Ohio Oil merged with two other companies to form the Western Public Service Corporation in October 1928. Mountain Fuel Supply Company became the company's hydrocarbon exploration and production affiliate. During the Great Depression, its stock price fell from $46/share in September 1929 to $3/share in 1932 as most families could not afford natural gas. In 1935, the shareholders voted to reorganize the company, merging it with its subsidiaries and moving its headquarters from Pittsburgh to Salt Lake City. Mountain Fuel Supply Company became the name of the reorganized consolidated company. In the mid-1930s, the company discovered natural gas in the Clay Basin region northeast of Utah. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the company was required by the War Production Board to halt new natural gas utility signups so that resources can be conserved for the war effort. In 1946, the company discovered the Church Buttes field in southwestern Wyoming. In 1971, the company acquired Interstate Brick, the largest brick-making facility in the Western United States. It was sold in 1990. In 1972, the company discovered the Brady field, about 30 miles southeast of Wyoming. In 1976, certain shareholders attempted to replace management. At issue was whether management would "acknowledge or act upon the fact that the company was more of an oil company than a natural gas utility". In 1984, Mountain Fuel Supply Company shareholders voted to return to the holding company structure, and chose the name Questar Corporation as the new parent holding company name. In 1989, the company established a subsidiary, Questar Telecom, which acquired specialized mobile radio operations. It also formed FuelMaker, a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...

to market a new device that would allow natural gas vehicles to be refueled at home. In 1993, the company had three major lines of business: exploration and production activities conducted by Wexpro Company, Celsius Energy Company, and Universal Resources Corporation; interstate transmission activities conducted by Questar Pipeline Company; and retail distribution activities conducted by Mountain Fuel. In 1994, it acquired oil and gas properties from Union Pacific Resources for $94.5 million. In August 1994, Questar Telecom was sold to Nextel Communications for 3.9 million shares of stock. On January 1, 1998, Mountain Fuel Supply Company was renamed Questar Gas Company. In September 1998, the company acquired HSRTW Inc., which owned oil and gas reserves in Oklahoma, for $155 million. In 2001, the company acquired Shenandoah Energy for $406 million in cash and assumed debt. In April 2003, D. N. "Nick" Rose, president and chief executive officer of Questar, retired and was replaced by Alan K. Allred. In 2005, Knox Lawrence International acquired Consonus Inc., Consonus Inc., a Questar Corp. subsidiary that managed computer data centers for businesses. In November 2006, the company was added to the S&P 500. It was removed from the index in 2010. On July 1, 2010, the company completed the

corporate spin-off A corporate spin-off, also known as a spin-out, or starburst or hive-off, is a type of corporate action where a company "splits off" a section as a separate business or creates a second incarnation, even if the first is still active. Characte ...

of its exploration and production business as QEP Resources. In December 2015, Tesoro Logistics LP acquired its natural-gas pipeline and processing business for $2.5 billion in cash. In 2021, QEP Resources was acquired by Diamondback Energy. In March 2012, the company moved from 180 East 100 South to its new headquarters building, a $45 million 170,000 square foot 6-story building at 333 South State Street in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It is one of the first

LEED Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

energy-efficient buildings in downtown Salt Lake City. In September 2016, the company was acquired by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Questar Corporation (Gas Company) 1928 establishments in Utah 2015 disestablishments in Utah 2016 mergers and acquisitions Defunct energy companies of the United States Energy companies established in 1928 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1928 Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 2015