Jim Rose, vice president of operations, left Pilot Co. on July 3, a spokesperson for the Knoxville, Tennessee-based travel-center chain confirmed with CSP Daily News.
Jorge Valdes, senior vice president of operations, will continue to lead store operations, said the spokesperson, who did not say who would replace Rose. Valdes has been with Pilot since 2022.
- Pilot Co. is No. 16 on CSP’s 2026 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
“As I prepare to embark on my next chapter, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for this incredible team,” Rose said in a LinkedIn post. “Over the past nine years, I have been continually inspired by your resilience, commitment to excellence and the unwavering support you provide for our stores, our guests and each other. Working in travel centers is not for the faint of heart. It requires agility, grit and courage, and it has been a true honor to lead alongside you.”
Rose, who did not say in his post where he is going, was vice president of operations since August 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. In this role, he was responsible for leading all North American store operations.
Prior to that at Pilot, Rose held the positions of division vice president, senior division director, and field operations. He started with the company in December 2017.
Rose came to Pilot from Charlotte, North Carolina-based department-store chain Belk, where he was regional vice president for nearly seven years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to that, Rose worked for more than eight years at Minneapolis-based Target.
“Together, we have pushed boundaries, raised the bar and solidified Pilot’s position as an industry leader,” Rose also said in his post. “This has been achieved not only through our results but also through the way we support one another.”
Pilot Co. is the largest operator of travel centers in North America, with more than 750 locations across 44 states and six Canadian provinces, selling about 14 billion gallons of fuel a year and about $3 billion in food and merchandise.
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