Pilot Corporation

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Not to be confused with the Japanese pen manufacturer Pilot (pen company).
Pilot Company LLC
Number of employees
19,000
SubsidiariesPilot Flying J (20%)
Websitewww.pilotcompany.com

Pilot Company (or simply Pilot) is an American

convenience stores in Tennessee. Along with Berkshire Hathaway, Pilot is joint-owner of Pilot Flying J, the largest truck stop chain in the United States. FJ Management
formerly owned a stake, but sold its stake in Pilot Flying J to Berkshire Hathaway.

History

Pilot Company was founded by

James Haslam Jr. in Weber City, Virginia when Haslam purchased an existing gasoline station and opened it on November 20, 1958.[2]
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

Flying J's travel center chains merged to form Pilot Flying J
. The two brands maintain their separate identities in the merged company.

In 2017 Berkshire Hathaway acquired a large block of shares in Pilot leading to majority control in January 2023.[3]

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.[4]

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 with the help of Scott Wombold when it became the primary sponsor of

Nationwide Series.[5]
As the deal came after the Flying J merger, both Pilot and Flying J are primary sponsors of the car.

In 2012, when Annett moved to the Nationwide team of Richard Petty Motorsports, Pilot Flying J followed him to his new team.

In 2014, Annett moved to the

Xfinity Series
in 2017.

Pittsburgh Steelers

In 2008, Pilot president

Pilot Travel Centers
locations, or possibly a sponsorship deal with the NFL in general nationwide. The Rooney family retained control of the franchise itself.

Cleveland Browns

In August 2012, Pilot president Jimmy Haslam purchased a controlling interest in the

FirstEnergy Stadium
.

Columbus Crew

In late 2018, reports emerged that Jimmy Haslam had purchased Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew from Anthony Precourt, who wanted to move the club to Austin, Texas. Haslam, along with his wife Dee and former team physician Pete Edwards, took over as owners on January 1, 2019, as a deal to purchase the club from Precourt was finalized.[8]

The Crew won the MLS Cup 2020, giving Haslam his first major sports championship as an owner.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c "#11 Pilot Flying J". Forbes. 2010. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 3 Apr 2018.
  2. ^ "The Pilot Flying J Story" Archived 2022-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, PilotFlyingJ Company website
  3. ^ "CSP Daily News:Company News:Pilot stays course as Berkshire Hathaway becomes majority owned". Archived from the original on 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  4. ^ "McCollum Issues Subpoenas Investigating Gas Price Increases". myfloridalegal.com. 14 Sep 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 3 Apr 2018.
  5. ^ "62 Michael Annett". Pilotflyingj.com. Pilot Travel Centers LLC. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 3 Apr 2018.
  6. ^ "NFL approves Rooney's ownership plan". espn.com. ESPN. 18 Dec 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 3 Apr 2018. NFL approves Rooney's ownership plan]
  7. ^ Schefter, Adam (August 2, 2012). "Sources: Browns sold for over $1B". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  8. ^ Patrick Guldan and Pat Murphy (December 28, 2018). "Crew SC officially sold to Edwards, Haslam". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  9. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-04.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pilot_Corporation&oldid=1195561492"