Everyone’s story is different, but one-of-kind doesn’t quite capture the uniqueness of Dave Alexander’s professional and personal accomplishments.
Founder of 11 businesses in the energy sector handling or trading over $8 billion in fuel? Check. A world-renowned triathlete who has completed more than 300 races in 37 countries? True. Published author? Yes. Professional stage magician? Yep. That, too.
The skills for those performances carry over to running an effective business, Alexander said. “I have been on stage for most of my life and love being on it,” he said. “During my life, I have realized that it is important to put others on the stage to strengthen them and their skills, and with that the company and its position in our industry.”
Alexander is managing member of Caljet of America, LLC, a Phoenix energy company he built in the early 1980s with a $1,000 credit card loan. Today, Caljet operates the largest motor fuels terminal in the Southwest U.S. In Phoenix alone, the company loads 700 fuel transport trucks per day, and the business operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“The energy business is moving more and more toward the use of electricity for powering automobiles and trucks,” Alexander said. “Long term, they will probably win but not during my lifetime. We have no debt and will create some developing alternative fuels, some that have been in existence for more than 100 years.”
Alexander has worked in the petroleum and alternative fuels industry for 55 years, and when the time comes for him to hand off the business, he’s confident it will be in good hands, he said.
“I have such a strong group of employees operating and working with great assets and minds,” he said. “We are renowned regionally and nationally. At the point that I cannot work and manage the company, those around me will continue to operate and drive to further success what I have built. They will give me great peace of mind.”
Alexander received the Silver Buffalo Award in 2019 from the Boy Scouts of America, recognizing his commitment and service to the youth of the nation. Previous recipients include 15 U.S. presidents, Walt Disney, Neil Armstrong and other stalwarts.
“Dave lives his life guided by a humble philosophy: It is more important to be the best for the world than to be the best in the world,” his team said. “His lessons in leadership are simple but profound, based in his faith in God and his inherent drive to retain and protect his integrity. He does not have to work at it. It is part of the character of his larger-than-life personality.”
