TravelCenters of America Grows Franchise Network

WESTLAKE, Ohio — TravelCenters of America LLC (TA) inked a franchise agreement with an Atlanta-based real estate investor to open a travel center in Oregon.

The pact calls for Amin Alibhai to open a TA-branded location on I-84 in Huntington, Ore. The 19-acre property was previously home to the Huntington Travel Plaza.

Currently under construction, the full-service travel center will offer truck diesel, gasoline, truck parking, a TA Truck Service Center, a travel store and dining options to professional drivers and highway motorists.

"We welcome Amin to the TA, Petro and TA Express travel center network," said Barry Richards, president and chief operating officer of TravelCenters. "We are thrilled to be able to add another large-footprint full-service TA to our system."

According to the company, Alibhai has years of experience owning and managing convenience stores and other retail businesses.

"We're very eager to join the TravelCenters and TA-Petro network," said Alibhai. "Being a part of the TravelCenters fueling, truck service and UltraONE loyalty system will help us better serve our customers through fleet fueling and service agreements, while offering the best amenities on the highway. This brand stands for quality and has the trust of professional drivers."

The new franchise agreement comes at a time when TravelCenters is looking to expand its travel center network following its exit from the standalone convenience store business.

While the company is exploring acquisition opportunities, CEO Andy Rebholz said earlier this year he expected most of this year's growth to come from franchising.

"There are literally dozens of other independent operators who seem very interested and, from our perspective, seem like the kinds of travel centers that we would be proud to have as part of our travel network," he said during the company's fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 earnings call on Feb. 26.  

Westlake-based TravelCenters of America conducts business in 43 states and Canada, principally under the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express brands.