Entrepreneur Spotlight – Jackson Carpenter, Founder of Tankr
Meet The Former Alabama College QB Who Started A Gas Delivery Business
Jackson Carpenter arrived at Alabama back in 2016 with the goal of playing his way into the starting quarterback position, and possibly extending his football career into the professional level. While that may not have happened, the Alabama campus can be credited with launching Jackson onto a brand new career path. As the story goes, it was a typical weekday morning when the Alabama football player hopped in his truck to make the five-mile trek to campus. He had left just enough time to avoid being late. So, when he noticed his gas tank was nearly empty, his only choice was to drive to campus and figure out how to get home later.
At first, this may seem like a typical mistake made by a young college student. However, on this day, Jackson’s low gas tank level turned into an unexpected business opportunity. As he walked to class thinking about his empty gas tank, he thought about how ideal it would be to call someone up and have them deliver enough gas to get him from the parking lot to the station. Then, a light bulb went off in Jackson’s head, and Tankr was born.
What is Tankr, and How Did It Get Started?
Shortly after his “eureka” moment, Jackson connected with his cousin Owen. The goal was to figure out how to take this idea and turn it into a reality. Even though Jackson was a college student with little entrepreneurial experience, his education had taught him that a product is only as valuable as its demand. So he leveraged the wisdom of the Alabama student body to ask a simple but critical question. He explained the service and asked simply, “If this existed, would you use it?”. When the results showed that over 80% of students said yes, he knew he was onto something.
Tankr is a simple mobile application that can be downloaded onto your phone or tablet. It allows you to request help from a nearby service member to meet at your current location with the type of gas your vehicle requires. Even though this service was born out of a college student forgetting to fill up, it has many additional applications as well. It’s the perfect solution for a driver who finds themselves suddenly having to travel a long distance or for an individual who is stranded and far away from a traditional gas station.
What Does The Future Hold For Jackson Carpenter and Tankr?
Jackson has strong ties to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and will use it as his company’s headquarters. His goal is to refine his business plan and offer a high-quality service to the residents of this town. He will also explore expansion and consider the possibilities of how this mobile app can best be enhanced and developed in the future. For Jackson, the key is to imagine driver situations other than just delivering the type of gas he needed on that fateful day. His fleet of trucks proudly transports various types of on and off-road fuel. For Jackson and his team, the future of Tankr looks incredibly bright and doesn’t appear to be running out of gas anytime soon.
