Berry-Hinckley merges with local sports bar company

Nevada's largest fuel supplier is going into the sports bar business, company officials announced Thursday.

Bully's Sports Bar and Grill will merge into the Berry-Hinckley Industries companies pending approval by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Under the agreement, Bully's owner Paul Sonner will become the president and chief operating officer of the sports bar chain, which has a location at 3530 N. Carson St.

"The arrangement with Berry-Hinckley allows us to grow Bully's at a rate consistent within the region," Sonner said in a news release. "The minute Rob Cashell said they wanted me to continue running Bully's and not to change a thing, I knew we had the right partner."

Sonner founded the chain in 1994 and has grown it to seven locations in Reno, Sparks and Carson City. A Fernley location will open in October, followed by Minden and other locations north of Reno in 2007. Berry-Hinckley plans to open a Bully's inside The Alamo Travel Center and Casino in Sparks.

The petroleum supplier recently announced its merger with Cashell Enterprises, which operates the Alamo truck stop and the Topaz Lodge Casino in Gardnerville in addition to gaming machines at the Petro Truck Shopping Center in Las Vegas, according to the company.

Berry-Hinckley Industries is affiliated with Winner's Gaming Inc., which operates more than 800 slot machines at the various Winner's Corner Chevron stations as well as bars, restaurants and other facilities across Northern Nevada. The various entities employ approximately 1,500 people in California, Arizona and Nevada.

The privately owned company, based in Reno, owns and operates two pipeline fueling terminals in Sparks, which hold more than 125,800 barrels of petroleum, according to Hoovers.com.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.