Pilot Corp.
- This article is about the petroleum company. For other uses, see Pilot.
Pilot Corporation (or simply Pilot) is a petroleum corporation in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Pilot operates the Pilot Food Mart convenience stores in Tennessee. Along with Flying J and CVC Capital Partners, Pilot is joint-owner of Pilot Flying J, the largest truck stop chain in the United States.
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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. On September 1, 2001, Pilot and Marathon Petroleum Company formed Pilot Travel Centers, LLC. On July 1, 2010, Pilot and Flying J's travel center chains merged to form Pilot Flying J. The two brands will keep their separate identities in the merged company.
Investigation of price gouging
On September 14, 2008, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum issued subpoenas to Pilot for investigation of price gouging in the days following Hurricane Ike.[1]
Sports sponsorship
NASCAR
In 1998, Pilot sponsored Gary Bradberry and Triad Motorsports in NASCAR. This venture was short lived, however, ending in 1999.
Pilot returned to NASCAR in 2011 when it became the primary sponsor of Rusty Wallace Racing driver Michael Annett in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.[2] As the deal came after the Flying J merger, both Pilot and Flying J are primary sponsors of the car.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In 2008, Pilot president Jim Haslam III, son of founder Jim Haslam Jr., purchased a 16% stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers as part of the team's ownership restructuring due to some heirs of the Rooney family retaining stakes in gambling enterprises such as horse tracks and race horse breeding stables, violating NFL rules.[3] It is not known at this time if it will lead to a sponsorship deal between the two at Pittsburgh-area Pilot Travel Centers locations, or possibly a sponsorship deal with the NFL in general nationwide. The Rooney family will retain control of the franchise itself.
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