Craig’s Exxon Service Station turns 47 years old this week

John Craig Hebert has a reason to celebrate this week.
This past Friday, Feb. 14, John Craig Exxon, located at 1708 Memorial Drive in Abbeville, turned 47 years old. It is one of the longest, if not the longest, full-service gas stations in Abbeville.
Hebert was around 22 when he opened the gas station on Feb. 14, 1978.
He purchased it from his uncle, Cladu Hebert.
“I enjoyed the service station business,” said Hebert, explaining why he purchased the gas station at a young age.  I got in the business to stay in the business.”
Hebert, 70, plans to remain open for at least four more years.
His gas station has undergone changes over the years. It was once a detail shop, and a full-time mechanic was on duty for years. 
A year after opening the gas station, he became a U-Haul dealership. 
“I opened this business in 1978 and started renting U-Haul trucks in 1979,” Hebert said. “I was looking for a way to bring people into the store, but it became so much more. When folks were moving to town, I would be the first person to greet them.”
On Tuesday, Kenneth Fredette, the area field manager for U-Haul, was in Abbeville to present Hebert with a 45-year service plaque. 
Hebert’s 45 years in the U-Haul business make him one of the longest-lasting dealers in the southern region, which covers Alexandria, Baton Rouge, and Beaumont, Texas.
“Craig lives and breathes U-Haul,” Boudreaux continued. “People in Abbeville know he’s the U-Haul guy, and we’re so glad to have him representing us. He’s part of our team.”
When he retires from his service station in four years, he will also retire from the U-Haul business.