Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is an American chain of country stores and travel plazas. Based in Oklahoma City, it has more than 500 locations across 41 states. It is a privately held company and was recently listed as the 17th largest private company in the United States by Forbes. It offers a variety of food and travel products at competitive prices. In 2017, Love’s was the top company on the Fortune 500 list.
In the mid-1970s, Love’s began leasing a filling station in Watonga, Oklahoma. Within a few years, they opened multiple filling stations in small towns throughout the state. In 1973, the company’s operations were separated into two separate businesses. In 2004, the company donated $100 million to Oklahoma City University to create an Entrepreneurship Center. During the Arab oil embargo, Love’s won the loyalty of his customers. He was able to keep the pumps open and the gas flowing all day. In 2001, he opened Country Stores, Oklahoma’s first convenience store and gas station.
By the early 1980s, Love’s had expanded its operations to include fuel pumps. The business grew to 150 Travel Stops and Country Stores and had approximately 3,500 employees. In 2003, Love’s was forced to split into two companies, each with its own identity and mission statement. The company also contributed money to Oklahoma City University to create an Entrepreneurship Center. The family did not finish college, but was an advocate for Oklahoma business and served as chairman of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable.
Love’s Country Stores began in the 1930s, and it grew to 150 locations in three years. In 2003, the family leased its first filling station in Watonga, OK. The family quickly expanded to other towns and became known as Musket Corp. The Loves were successful in winning customers’ loyalty, even during the Arab oil embargo. They sourced their fuel from other dealers while maintaining a 24-hour pump for their customers. In 2001, they opened the first combined convenience store and gas station in Guymon, OK. It was called Country Stores, and it cost $300,000.
In 2002, Love’s grew to a size where its revenues reached $2 billion. In the fall of 2003, the company had approximately 3,500 employees and operated 150 Travel Stops and Country Stores. In addition, the love-making company had given money to Oklahoma City University’s Entrepreneurship Center to promote entrepreneurship. In 2001, the Loves opened the first combined gas station and convenience store in Oklahoma. The new business was named Country Stores and cost the Loves $300,000.
In 2005, the Loves family leased its first filling station in Watonga, OK, and later opened more locations in nearby towns. Their business became so popular that Musket Corp. soon had over forty locations. By 2003, the company had grown to more than 300 employees and was still generating $190,243 in sales. The family gave its proceeds to establish the entrepreneurship center at Oklahoma City University. Aside from the Loves’ financial contributions, the firm was involved in civic and tourism groups.
