Tom Newbould graduated with an accounting degree, but after crunching numbers for six months at BP as an auditor, he realized his career aspirations just weren't adding up. Newbould began working for the British powerhouse during college, but he had his sights set on the retail marketing side of the business. So he paid his dues working with BPs strategic planning staff, but when the oil company decided to move to Chicago, the most valuable lesson Newbould learned about long-term planning never rang truer.
Youre looking to build five, 10, 15-year plans just to see the total direction of the company change in six months, said Newbould, now the senior program manager for Westlake, Ohiobased Travel Centers of America (TA).
Newbould had no desire to move to the Windy City, but, fortunately, opportunity presented itself with TA. He shifted over to the travel center side of the industry realizing that his experience with BP would help, but it couldnt have prepared him for what lie ahead.
C-stores are fun, but a travel center is a lot different than a typical c-store, Newbould said. The professional truck driver is very unique