Mr. Stephen Hightower

Lifetime Achievement in STEM

Stephen L. Hightower is a pioneering energy entrepreneur, corporate leader, and advocate whose career has helped expand innovation, representation, and opportunity throughout the American energy sector. In 1982, he founded Hightowers Petroleum Co., building upon a family tradition of entrepreneurship that began in 1957. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a wholesale fuel-distribution business into a diversified energy-solutions enterprise serving customers across North America. Today, its work encompasses bulk fuel, renewable fuels, electric-vehicle charging solutions, emergency fuel services, energy management, crude oil, and liquefied natural gas.

Hightower’s leadership reflects both remarkable longevity and a forward-looking commitment to the future of energy. While establishing a strong national presence in conventional fuel distribution, he has also advanced the company into emerging areas such as electric-vehicle infrastructure, renewable diesel, hydrogen, and other clean-energy technologies. In 2026, PBS featured Hightower and highlighted his work to connect EV infrastructure and clean-energy innovation with economic empowerment and opportunity for diverse communities.

His influence extends beyond the companies he has built. Hightower has served as a member of the National Petroleum Council, which advises the U.S. Department of Energy on matters affecting the nation’s oil, natural gas, and energy industries. His career has earned recognition from organizations including Black Enterprise, the National Minority Supplier Development Council, General Motors, the American Association of Blacks in Energy, the Cincinnati Business Courier, and the NAACP.

Hightower has also used his leadership to create opportunities for other minority-owned businesses. The City of Cincinnati recognizes his more than 40 years as a certified minority supplier and his establishment of Save Our Set Aside, an advocacy organization created to champion minority business enterprises and promote equitable access to contracting opportunities.

As a 2026 STEMmys Lifetime Achievement in STEM recipient, Stephen L. Hightower is honored not only for building a successful energy enterprise, but also for a lifetime of entrepreneurship, technological advancement, industry leadership, and community impact. His legacy demonstrates how visionary leadership at the intersection of science, technology, infrastructure, and commerce can transform an industry while opening doors for generations to follow.