Pilot Corp.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the petroleum company. For other uses, see Pilot.

Pilot Corporation (Pilot) is a petroleum corporation in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pilot also owns many convenience stores and truck stop style travel centers around the country.

[edit] History

Pilot Corporation was founded by James Haslam Jr. in 1958 in Gate City, Virginia when he purchased an existing gasoline station. By 1965, Pilot owned 12 stations, and was selling 5 million gallons of fuel yearly. Pilot built its first convenience store in 1976, and converted the rest of its locations into convenience stores. In 1981, Pilot built its first travel center, and has focused on that aspect of its business ever since.

1988 saw Pilot begin its concentration on expanding its travel center network in a nationwide presence. Also in 1988, Pilot opened its first travel center with a fast food restaurant inside.

In 1998, Pilot sponsored Gary Bradberry and Triad Motorsports in NASCAR. This venture was shortlived, however, ending in 1999.

On September 1, 2001, Pilot and Marathon formed Pilot Travel Centers, LLC.