Travelers making their way through Humboldt County will be feeling the love. Kym Van Dyke, Real Estate Development Project Manager for Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores presented plans to the Regional Planning Commission for the company to develop a new Travel Stop to be located at 3550 West Winnemucca Boulevard.
According documents filed with the Planning Commission, the project will consist of a convenience store with a fast food restaurant and drive-thru, nine truck and eight passenger vehicle fuel pumps, a truck tire shop facility, and truck and passenger vehicle parking.
Love’s is a family-owned chain of more than 480 truck stop and convenience stores in 41 states in the United States. The company is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla. “We do about a third of the total volume of diesel on the interstate systems across the country,” Van Dyke told the Planning Commission. “A typical Love's is going to run through about 3,000 clients a day and only maybe 400 trucks,” he said. As of 2018, the company employed approximately 22,000.
According to Van Dyke, the company invests heavily in the surrounding communities in which it locates its stores. “Love's is also ... a good neighbor. I think we're over $20 million to the Children's Miracle Network and the Loves family themselves match dollar for dollar for our fundraising efforts,” he said. Last year the company donated over $3 million. Van Dyke said all donations stay within the local communities.
Location is key to their success. Van Dyke said the company seeks land parcels on the off-ramp along interstates on the outskirts of towns. He said of the Winnemucca location, “this one's really got that type of vibe where we're out where we should be and can accommodate these trucks.”
The company will also work with the city of Winnemucca to build much needed infrastructure in the area. “We're spending a lot of money on this water-sewer line and it will be able to be sized up for future use,” Van Dyke said, adding that it could spur on some growth in the area.
Restaurants are another important feature for the company. “We have over 500 Subways.” Van Dyke told the commission. “We're the third largest in the nation franchisee of Subway, but we top 5% of volume overall. Whether it's Carl's Jr or McDonalds, Arby's, they like being in our facilities because we generate more revenue than they can do on their own deal.”
It was unknown at press time which fast-food restaurant would ultimately sign on with Love’s.
Van Dyke anticipates the company will break ground sometime in August.
