Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is an American family-owned retail chain with 500 stores in 41 states. The company is privately held and headquartered in Oklahoma City. It ranked No. 17 on the 2019 Forbes list of America’s largest private companies. Founded in 1923, Love’s is one of the largest retailers in the United States. The chain was recently awarded the title of “America’s Best Employer” by the Wall Street Journal.

In 1921, the Love family leased a gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma, and quickly opened stations in neighboring small towns. Within two years, the Musket Corp. had 40 stations in operation. Despite the Arab oil embargo, the Love family managed to win their customers’ trust by keeping the pumps open 24 hours a day. In addition to filling gas tanks, the Loves also opened the nation’s first combined convenience store/gas station in Guymon, Oklahoma, called the Country Stores.

The Loves’ success was evident from the time they first opened their first filling station in Watonga. As the business grew, the company expanded to other small towns and eventually to four hundred. In 2002, they consolidated their operations, creating a single company, Musket Corp. The Musket Corp. has since acquired more than forty stations throughout the Midwest. The Love family’s founder Tom Love also lent money to the Oklahoma City University Entrepreneurship Center, which now focuses on helping Oklahoma businesses succeed. Although he didn’t attend college, the company’s president was a prominent advocate for the state of Oklahoma. He served on the board of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable and was a member of the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce.

The Love family rented its first gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma, and began opening other filling stations in nearby small towns. By the fall of 2003, the corporation had nearly forty gas stations. The love family won the loyalty of their customers by sourcing gasoline from other dealers and keeping the pumps open 24 hours a day. In the early 1980s, the Love family opened the world’s first combined convenience store/gas station in Guymon, Oklahoma. This store, named Country Stores, cost $300 thousand to open.

At its height in the 1950s, the Loves’ revenues were approaching $2 billion. They operated 150 Travel Stops and Country Stores. During the Arab oil embargo, their service had earned them the loyalty of local customers. Their generosity enabled the company to invest millions in education. The Musket Corp. donated $300 million to start the Center. A love letter in a business is a good way to show your love. A heartfelt gift to a friend will help them remember a special memory of the person.

In modern English, love is an abstract noun. The root of the word is Middle Low German, from Proto-Indo-European lewbh-. The verb is from Old English lubu, Latinlove, and Dutchloven. It’s also an adjective. People with true love have a lot of ties with other people. The term “love” can be a metaphor. If you are romantic, it can mean an intense and lasting attraction.

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