American Travel Plazas

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As the largest publicly traded full-service truck stop and travel center company in the United States, TravelCenters of America LLC serves as a vital link in the interstate transportation network. TravelCenters of America, TA, Petro Stopping Centers, TA Express, GOASIS, and Quaker Steak & Lube are some of the names under which the company's service stations, convenience stores, and restaurants are known. As of the year 2021, the workforce of TravelCenters of America, which has its headquarters in Westlake, Ohio and is active in 44 states and 1 Canadian province, will have swelled to nearly 20,000 people.

Definition and business operations [ edit1 ]

TravelCenters of America (TA) is an operator of truck stops and travel centers in the United States,[1] with approximately 270 full-service locations along the Interstate Highway System in 44 U.S. states and in Canada, plus standalone restaurants in more than 10 states, as of 2018 Nearly 20,000 people are employed by the publicly traded limited liability company, which has its headquarters in Westlake, Ohio. [1]1

TA's divisions consist of TA Truck Service and TA Restaurant Group. Quaker Steak & Lube is a franchised fast food restaurant chain with a global presence. Its brands include TravelCenters of America, TA, and Petro Stopping Centers. These companies provide a wide range of services and goods, including diesel and gasoline, full-service and fast food restaurants, truck maintenance and repair, and grocery and convenience store items. For $5 million in April 2021, TA sold Quaker Steak & Lube to an undisclosed buyer.

In 2019, Jon Pertchik assumed the role of chief executive officer. President Barry Richards will be succeeded by Peter J. Crage has been promoted to the position of EVP after serving as CFO and treasurer.

History [ edit1 ]

Phil Saunders founded TravelCenters of America (then known as Truckstops of America) in 1972. Ryder bought the company later that year because of its prominence as one of the first truck stop chains in the country. In 1984, the chain was purchased by Standard Oil Company of Ohio. In 1993, after BP had acquired Standard Oil, the oil and gas conglomerate sold TA to the shipping company Clipper Group. A merger with National Auto/Truckstops in 1997 resulted in the chain's current name, TravelCenters of America Inc. [7] (TA) In the late 1990s, TA bought seventeen Burns Bros. The Travel Centers of America merged with more than a dozen separate branches, including the Travel Stops. By the year 2000, the firm had 160 outlets across 40 states. S states, 12,500 full-time workers, and $1 billion in annual sales 5 billion TA was bought out by Oak Hill Capital Partners in the year 2000 [7]. [8]1

Forbes ranked TA #94, and the company also made the top 60. ' the 2005 and 2006 lists of the largest privately held corporations Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT) agreed to purchase the business in 2006 for about $1. 9 billion The acquisition was finalized in January of 2007, and TA stock began trading on the NYSE on February 1 of that year. By the middle of 2015, [9] TA was still functioning as a wholly owned subsidiary of HPT, which remained TA's largest shareholder. [10] In May of 2007, TA purchased the Petro Stopping Centers' operating businesses and leased 40 Petro locations from HPT in El Paso.

RDG Capital Management suggested that TA lease and sell more company-owned properties in addition to implementing a $100 million share repurchase plan in 2015 to boost its stock price[13]. A sale leaseback agreement worth roughly $400 million was signed between TA and HPT [14]. Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm, proposed a buyout of the company in December 2015, but the company's board of directors rejected the offer in the middle of 2016. TA was valued at $540 million at the offer price of $14 per share. In November [15][16][17], in response to Comdata's allegations that TA breached agreements, TA filed a lawsuit against the payment processor provider. A judge in Delaware has ruled that Comdata must pay TA back for any overcharges made beginning in February 2017 -- plus interest and legal fees -- under the terms of their contract. As of March 2018, the court has not yet issued a final ruling. [19][20] [21]1

TA updated 56 Minit Marts and 24 Petro or TA stations between 2015 and 2017. In response to a 2015 mandate from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company has also prioritized the distribution of electronic logging devices to truck drivers [22]. [23] As of the magazine's late 2017 count, TA was the seventeenth largest U.S. S supermarkets with convenience sections [22][24] The Women's Forum of New York also commended the company for having a board that included 40% women. [25] Thomas O'Brien, the company's president and CEO, tendered his resignation in November 2017, with the effective date of December 31. When William Myers was named senior vice president and chief accounting officer, the board promoted Barry Richards to president and chief operating officer. With O'Brien's departure, the board appointed Adam Portnoy to his former role as managing director. Early in 2018, Andrew Rebholz stepped into the role of CEO, following positions as executive vice president (EVP), chief financial officer (CFO), and treasurer. The Minit Mart brand was sold by TA in 2018 [4, 5]. [1]

In February of 2018, TA formed a partnership with Wex to offer fuel card services at all TA and Petro stations in the United States. S [24] The company has also confirmed its sponsorship of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series' "truck service challenge" competition. In March of 2017, TA purchased a building close to its original Westlake location in order to make room for an expansion. [31]1

After Andrew Rebholz's departure in December 2019, Jon Pertchik was named CEO in his stead.

Supporting the St. Since 2010, the Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund has been giving money to help truck drivers who are having trouble making ends meet due to health problems. The business makes up the bulk of the fund's contributors. [32] For the past ten years, this firm has been a staple of the Fortune 500, and in 2018 it came in at position #470. Jon Pertchik became chief executive officer (CEO) in 2019

Divisions [ Barry Richards serves as president, and in 2020, Peter J ]

Groupe de Restaurants TA [ ]

Approximately 6,200 people were employed by TA Restaurant Group, a division of TravelCenters of America LLC, as of April 2016. This division operates 43 different national and regional restaurant brands. About 850 restaurants and convenience stores under the Country Pride, Iron Skillet, and Quaker Steak & Lube banners are managed by this division.

In April of 2016, TA finished buying out the Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant chain. By 2021, there will be roughly 40 Quaker Steak & Lube locations across 12 different states ([15][36]). Franchise growth remains a top priority for Quaker Steak & Lube [35].

Transport by Truck (TA) [ edit1 ]

The TA Truck Service branch provides garages all over the country where trucks can be serviced. As of September 2017, the TA Truck Service Commercial Tire Network's 1,000 truck service repair shops, 3,000 truck service technicians, and 2,000 roadside assistance and maintenance vehicles were all part of its impressive roster. It is the largest independent commercial tire dealer in the United States. [41][42] ]

With the help of auction houses, TA began certifying the quality of pre-owned trucks in 2017 and gave them the "TA Certified" label. After relocating to a new location in Westlake in September 2017, [45] the TA Truck Service National Call Center and Emergency Road Side Assistance operations Other TA customer service agents also work out of this building.

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