Love’s Marks 60th Anniversary

In 1964, Tom and Judy Love spent $5,000 on an abandoned service station in Watonga. They named their company Musket Corporation. Over the next eight years, Musket opened 40 additional gas stations. This week, the company celebrates 60 years of operations, marking a legacy of innovation, growth and community impact since its first store opened in Watonga.

The corporation credits Tom’s boots-on-the ground, community and people-focused mentality with turning that one store led to a nationally recognized brand.

“While a lot has changed in six decades, the heart of Love’s has not, and it’s now alive in four generations of our family,” said the Love family. “We are so grateful for our incredible team members – past and present – whose contributions play a role in shaping our company. Growth and innovation of our product offerings, living our core values and culture daily, and dedication to clean places, friendly faces are what this company was started on in 1964. We proudly stand on that foundation and know our best is still ahead of us.”

Today, Love’s is the only major travel stop that is still family-owned and -operated and is now a national travel stop and convenience store network with 637 locations in 42 states and nearly 40,000 employees in North America and Europe. Its growing family of companies includes Musket Corp., Trillium Energy Solutions, Gemini and Speedco.

When the fuel crunch of the early 1970s began and gasoline was in short supply in the United States, Tom Love diversified for the sake of the company's success. He launched a new concept in Watonga: the 'Mini Stop Country Store.' By adding a grocery line to self-service fuel sales, Musket became one of the nation's first to offer one-stop shopping for travelers. The Mini Stop was successful, and the company quickly opened more stores in western Oklahoma.

In 1972, Musket set out to convert all its locations from gas stations to convenience stores with self-serve gasoline. By 1973, the company began using the family name to identify Love's Country Stores.

By 1978, Love's Country Stores had 60 locations in small communities throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. That year, the company began offering the Fresh Daily Deli, sandwiches made fresh daily on-location. Food service became the company's third profit center in each location, along with self-serve gasoline and convenience store items.

By the end of 1981, the company reached a milestone with 100 Love's Country Stores locations in operation. The same year, it opened the first Love's Travel Stop on Interstate 40 in Amarillo. The travel stop opened a new target audience to Love's business; the addition of selfserve diesel fuel brought professional drivers to Love's. The Travel Stop was unique because it served both the professional driver and the motoring public, resulting in more growth for Love's.

In 1985, Love's added gifts and novelties. Then in 1993, Taco Bell became a partner, opening a co-branded location in Oklahoma City. The success of this partnership quickly grew.

In 1995, the company opened its first triplebranded food service operation. The location offered Subway, Taco Bell Express and Pizza Hut.

In the late 1990s, food service continued to grow. Soon the company was partnering with an array of co-branded restaurant concepts, including Arby's, Baskin Robbins, Bojangles', Burger King, Chester's, Dairy Queen, Del Taco, Denny's, Dunkin' Donuts, Godfather's Pizza, Green Burrito, Hardee's, IHOP Express, McDonald's, Sonic, Subway, Carl's Jr., Taco Bell, Taco John's and Wendy's.

In 2000, Sales & Marketing Executives International awarded Love's the Outlook Award, for innovation and outstanding contribution to the future of the convenience store industry.

The first truck tire care location opened in 2008, and since then, the business has grown into a nationwide network of centers, offering tires, equipment, light mechanical work, oil changes and roadside service.

Tom Love was an innovator from the start, opening a combined convenience store and filling station at a time when that was practically unheard of. His innovative spirit is at the heart of every addition the company has had over the years – from expanding into travel stops, adding the Gemini Motor Transport fleet, and restaurant and fresh food options, to total truck care solutions, alternative fuels, and private label offerings, just to name a few.

One element that has not changed over the years, but gained in strength, is the company’s culture and the philosophy of treating all team members like family. The belief in caring for customers, partners and team members still differentiates Love’s. This commitment was recently recognized when Love’s was ranked #1 for “Work Wellbeing in the US” by Indeed.

On June 30, 2010, Love's acquired 20 Pilot Travel Centers locations and six Flying J locations out of antitrust concerns in order for the Federal Trade Commission to approve the Pilot/Flying J merger.

In June 2017, Love's opened its first location in Montana, its 41st state of operation. At the time, Love's operated more than 430 stores.

Tom and Judy Love married in 1961. They had four children and live in Oklahoma City. Three of the children work for the company. Frank Love and Greg Love are co-CEOs, and Jenny Love Meyer is the vice president of communications. Tom Love passed away last year.

Judy Love is secretary of Love's Travel Stops, and president of Love's Family Foundation and sits on many boards and foundations.

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents voted in January 2019 to name entrepreneurship programs in the Price College of Business in honor of a $5 million gift from Tom and Judy Love, longtime university supporters.

The gift from the foundation will support the Tom Love Innovation Hub and establish an Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Program to pair student teams with industry experts. It will fund at least 20 student scholarships or 'proofof- concept' grants to students in the entrepreneurship field.

The support of Love’s stores and stations is felt in each of the communities they serve. The company donates to schools, community projects and fundraisers, and to emergency responders have also felt their generosity.

The company that grew from humble Watonga roots now has 637 outlets in 42 states and employs more than 40,000 people.

Love’s 60th anniversary celebrations will continue throughout the year. Follow them on social media for promotions, community giving initiatives and more.

Editor’s note: Love’s Corporate Communications contributed to this article