TravelCenters of America (TA) has hit a new milestone — the brand recently celebrated the grand opening of its 300th travel center at the newly rebuilt TA in Walton, Ky.
“Celebrating this achievement is very exciting for both our team members and guests, and we are committed to continued growth and innovation to provide an outstanding experience for all travelers who visit us,” said Debi Boffa, CEO of TravelCenters of America. “We look forward to welcoming guests into our newly rebuilt Walton, Ky., travel center, which provides a welcoming, pleasant atmosphere with excellent amenities.”
A 300th celebration will be held on Feb. 27 at the site, and will include a ribbon cutting ceremony in the new 12,200-square-foot building, featuring dining options such as HWY Kitchen, KFC and a store with hot and cold food and beverage options.
Other amenities at the 300th travel center include:
- Six diesel fueling positions (DEF available at every pump)
- 12 bp gas positions
- 60 truck parking spaces
- 48 car parking spaces and RV parking available
- TA Truck Service Center with four bays
- Emergency roadside assistance services
- Six showers
- Laundry facilities
- CAT scales
- Driver’s lounge
- Pet area
To recognize the milestone, TA is awarding 3,000 professional drivers double fuel points when using UltraONE Loyalty and also is holding an Instagram contest giving all guests the chance to win one of 30 $100 bp gift cards.
TA Walton brings 100 new jobs to the local community. In honor of the site opening, TA is donating $2,500 to the Freestore Foodbank, the largest emergency food and services provider to children and families in greater Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.
TA Since the bp Acquisition
TA was acquired by bp in May 2023 for $1.3 billion, adding around 290 sites to bp’s U.S. network at the time.
When the acquisition was inked, the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was expected to grow to around $800 million by 2025, underpinned by investment, integration value and synergies, the company noted.
bp made the acquisition to “give a turbo-boost to (its) convenience and mobility business in the U.S,” mentioned Emma Delaney, executive vice president customers & products, bp. “Combining TA’s sites on U.S. highways with our brilliant retail network off the highway immediately expands our offer and doubles our global convenience gross margin.”
Delaney added that the acquisition also aids in the company’s decarbonization efforts.
“By integrating bp pulse, our fast-growing EV (electric vehicle) charging business, along with biofuels and renewable natural gas businesses — and in time, hydrogen — we can help America’s vital fleets and logistics companies decarbonize,” she continued.
The next big move the company made was appointing TA CEO Debi Boffa, who took over in September 2023 in place of Jonathan Pertchik. Boffa was initially appointed TA’s CEO-Designate in May 2023 when the deal was announced.
On bp’s side, the company promoted Murray Auchincloss from interim to full-time CEO. Before his promotion, Auchincloss served as the company’s chief financial officer for three years.
The Future of the Brand
This year, TA has plans to open 20 new locations.
Other 2024 strategic initiatives reported by the company include:
- Adding 1,600 new truck parking spaces
- The installation of biodiesel blending infrastructure and bp Pulse EV charging stations at select sites throughout the country
- Improving guest touchpoints through enhanced store layouts and new benefits to its loyalty program
- Upgrading TA Truck Service mobile maintenance and emergency roadside assistance vehicles to better serve its fleet customers and professional drivers
Now operating 300 travel centers across the U.S., TA employs nearly 19,000 people.
In February, bp announced plans to invest $1 billion in America’s EV charging infrastructure by 2030 with an aim of investing $500 million in the next two to three years.
In addition to a $100 million deal with Tesla for its fast-chargers, bp bp has been awarded grant funds through programs like National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) and California Energy Commission (CEC) to provide charging infrastructure at sites in California, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Kentucky.