Company Overview
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot Flying J is the largest operator of travel centers in North America with more than 750 locations throughout the United States and Canada and employs more than 24,000 Team Members. Pilot Flying J services over a million guests every day.
History
Founded by James Haslam II, the first Pilot gas station was opened in Gate City, Virginia, in 1958. After more than four decades of rapid growth, expansion and partnership, Pilot and Marathon Oil Company entered an agreement to form Pilot Travel Centers in 2001.
Over the years, Pilot Travel Centers experienced significant growth and expanded internationally, opening its first travel center in Canada in 2006. In 2007, Pilot bought Marathon Petroleum’s shares and entered a new partnership with CVC Capital Partner in 2008. Two years later, Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J Inc. entered an agreement, officially creating Pilot Flying J on July 1, 2010.
Culture
Pilot Flying J is a family-owned and operated business. While much has changed over the last fifty-plus years, Pilot Flying J stands by the same principles upon which it was founded decades ago: integrity, customer service and valuing team members.
Familia Torres founded its winery in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1870, 150 years ago, but its roots in the winegrowing traditions of Penedès date back to the 16th century. Five generations have carried the family business forward, passing on their passion for wine culture from parents to children – a passion steeped in respect for land and tradition, and a firm belief in innovation. Today the winery focuses on wines from unique vineyards and historical estates, as well as the recovery of ancestral varieties, which could provide long-term solutions. Since 2008, Familia Torres has taken active steps to combat the climate emergency, implementing adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce its carbon emissions. Familia Torres has a historical connection to Penedès, Conca de Barberà, Priorat, and Costers del Segre, but now its presence extends to vineyards and wineries in preeminent Spanish wine regions – Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Rías Baixas – and in Chile and California. It is a member of Primum Familiae Vini, an association representing twelve of the oldest and most prestigious wine families in Europe.