Jacobus Energy got its start in January, 1919 as Wauwatosa Fuel & Supply Company. Headed by C.C. Jacobus, its business purpose was "buying, selling and dealing in coal, animal feed and building or other supplies." Two teams of horses and five employees rounded out the organization. In the 1930's, the business expanded into hauling cement and coal. Under the leadership of Delwin C. Jacobus It grew dramatically in the 1940's, selling retail and wholesale coal, coke, petroleum products, wood and wood fuels. Taking advantage of the building boom that occurred after World War II, the company also sold construction materials such as brick, stone, tile, lumber, and cement.As Milwaukee expanded into the suburbs in the 1950's, the Jacobus Company grew with it. Homes built in outlying areas without gas lines all relied on oil-fired equipment, and Quickflash delivered "premium gold"​ home heating oil to tens of thousands of customers.Delwin's son, Charles D. Jacobus, Sr., continued to grow the business. Under his vision and leadership, the Jacobus Company experienced major growth during the 1960's and 70's. The company expanded rapidly, acquiring more than 20 heating oil companies in the 1970's alone.In the 1980s, Charles D. Jacobus, Jr. pioneered a new fueling concept: Automated fueling stations for commercial fleets. Unattended fueling was an innovation in the 1980s and it was an immediate success. Trucking fleets found they could cut fueling time dramatically thanks to the stations' card-activated dispensers, wide fueling lanes, and high-speed pumps. Over 50 stations were opened, using the name "Quick Fuel." Charles Jacobus, Jr., CEO, and his brother Eugene Jacobus, President, actively grew the company's mobile fueling business as well in the 1990s and 2000s. In just two decades, the brothers acquired nearly 30 companies and expanded Jacobus Energy's geographic footprint throughout southern and midwestern states.