Pilot Corp.

Private Company, Headquarters Location
PO Box 10146, Knoxville, TN 37939-0146, United States
(800)562-6210, (865)588-7488, (865)450-2800 fax, http://www.pilotcorp.com

Primary SIC: Gasoline Service Stations, Primary NAICS: Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores
Description: Retail: Gas service stations and convenience stores.Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot is a nationwide operator of 124 travel centers in 36 states and 45 convenience stores in Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. These travel centers consist of fuel islands, some large enough to service 18-wheelers, and one or more national food chains, including Subway, Dairy Queen, Wendy's, Arby's, TJ Cinnamon, and Taco Bell. The company was started in 1958 by James Haslam II when he opened the first Pilot service station that sold cigarettes and soft drinks in Gate City, Virginia, and is still family-owned by the Haslams. The company's first convenience store was located on Alcoa Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee and its first Travel Center was located in Corbin, Kentucky. The company currently has more than 7,000 employees and enjoys more than $2 billion in annual revenues. They also sell nearly 8% of all over-the-road diesel fuel in the United States. The company has been busy with mergers and acquisitions. Some of these have included Lonas Oil Co. of Knoxville, TN and Marathon Oil. The company plans on expanding in the near future to more than 265 units with more than $4 billion in annual sales, 12,000 employees, and 15 percent of the nation's diesel fuel market. It currently ranks at number 99 on Forbes Top 500 Privately Held Companies in the United States and was named by Nation's Restaurant News among the top 50 Most Influential Restaurant Franchisees in the World. The company is currently the 25th largest restaurant franchise in the country. Competitors of Pilot include Flying J, Petro Stopping Centers and TravelCenters of America.