C-store Industry Hiring Spree Begins to Ready for Busy Summer Travel Season

NATIONAL REPORT — Multiple convenience store and travel center operators are preparing for the summer driving season by embarking on major hiring campaigns. The push to grow team sizes comes as some experts predict a busy summer due to good weather and COVID-19 vaccinations prompting Americans to get out of the house and hit the road.

PILOT CO.

Pilot Co. will host its annual National Hiring Day through virtual meet-and-greets on April 27. The travel center operator seeks to fill more than 5,000 positions in retail, foodservice, professional driving and corporate roles.

Interested candidates should visit jobs.pilotflyingj.com/national-hiring-day to schedule a virtual interview time and learn about available positions.

"Through all of the uncertainty of the past year, we've remained open and continued to grow our business and our people," said Paul Shore, chief people officer at Pilot Co. "We are thrilled to be adding to our team and even though our National Hiring Day event is April 27, we are hiring now."

Open positions include:

• Retail — hourly positions: Store team member opportunities include cashiers, food services, facility services and other positions at Pilot Flying J and other travel center locations across the United States and Canada. 
• Retail — leadership positions: These positions oversee high-volume retail facilities and offer competitive pay and benefits. 
• Professional drivers: Pilot Co. is hiring more than 300 professional drivers for company and independent contractor positions across the country, including 100-plus crude oil company and independent contract drivers in Texas; 40 clean/fuel company drivers in Phoenix; 18 crude oil company and independent contract drivers in Carrollton, Ohio; 11 crude oil company drivers in North Sale Lake, Utah; and additional driver positions in Indiana, Kentucky, Washington and Oregon.
• Corporate support center: Pilot is seeking 100 team members in multiple departments, including technology, supply and distribution, inside sales, human resources and finance, at its Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters, as well as offices in Houston, Dallas and Denver.

"There is incredible opportunity for advancement at Pilot with 73 percent of our leaders having been promoted internally," Shore said. "In addition to development, team members are supported with excellent benefits and a family-like work environment that is passionate about making a great day for the millions of guests we serve."

Part-time and full-time team members have access to competitive benefits, including weekly pay, comprehensive and affordable medical and dental plans, $10-a-week health plans for stores and hourly support positions, tuition assistance, 401(k) participation, paid time off, paid parental leave, wellness programs, training and professional development, according to Pilot. Store team members also receive a free meal during each shift.

Pilot Co.'s network consists of more than 1,000 retail and fueling locations. The Pilot Flying J travel center network includes locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces with more than 680 restaurants, 74,000 truck parking spaces, 5,300 deluxe showers and 6,200 diesel lanes.

ROYAL FARMS

Royal Farms is ramping up a large-scale hiring effort that seeks to bring on approximately 4,500 new employees before the end of 2021. Open part- and full-time roles range from customer service associates to management level positions.

A $500 sign-on bonus is being offered to employees at select locations, and existing employees can receive a $300 referral bonus. 

"As we continue our growth in the mid-Atlantic region, we are very excited to support these new communities along with the communities that we are already a part of," said Brian Roche, director of human resources. "Our teams work hard every day to support our great customers and give them the outstanding service they deserve."

Royal Farms associates receive competitive pay; medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k); paid vacation for full-time employees; and an employee discount for food. The company also looks to promote from within first, offering many opportunities for advancement.

Interested candidates can visit nowhiring.com/royalfarmsjobs for more information.

Baltimore-based Royal Farms operates more than 240 c-stores in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

SPEEDWAY LLC

Speedway is looking to hire more than 7,000 employees over the next month in order to fill both existing and growth-related positions. These range from entry level to assistant manager roles. Both part- and full-time store positions are available, including customer service representatives and foodservice specialists.

Interested candidates can text the word "Speedway" to 25000 to talk to a recruiter 24 hours a day or visit speedway.com to learn more about the variety of career opportunities available.

Speedway provides engaging training programs for employees at every stage of their career and has a long-standing commitment of promoting from within, providing employees the opportunity to grow their career as they grow their customer service, business acumen and leadership skills, the company said.

Full-time Speedway employees have the option to elect health, dental and vision coverage with no waiting periods. The company also offers weekly pay, flexible schedules, monthly bonuses or incentive programs, 401(k) and tuition reimbursement for all positions.

Based in Enon, Ohio, Speedway is the nation's second largest company-owned and -operated convenience store chain with nearly 3,900 locations across the United States. It is the retail arm of Findlay-based Marathon Petroleum Corp. Its sale to Seven & i Holdings, parent company of Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc., is on target to close in the second quarter of 2021.

THORNTONS LLC

Thorntons plans to hire 350 team members companywide through weekly open interviews. From now through Aug. 25, the convenience store chain invites interested candidates to visit any local Thorntons store on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The company is hiring for seasonal, part-time and full-time roles. Available positions include guest service representatives, clean team members, foodservice managers, store managers and general managers. Applicants must be at least 20 years old.

Additional information is available at mythorntons.com/careers.

Louisville-based Thorntons operates more than 200 stores in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Florida.

Other convenience stores making major hiring pushes include Sheetz Inc., Wawa Inc. and Love's, as Convenience Store News previously reported.