Thomas E. Love, The owner, founder, and executive chairman of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. Initially, Love owned restaurants and car washes, until he discovered an opportunity in abandoned gas stations.
In January 1964, Love and his wife Judy leased a self-service gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma. Love went on to open another 30 gas stations. Then in 1971, he decided to merge self-service gas stations with convenience stores, and the business continued to grow.
Tom and Judy Love are the founders of the convenience store chain Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. They started their company in 1964, leasing a gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma for $5,000.Love’s is a national chain with more than 490 locations in 41 states and estimated annual revenues of $20 billion.
Tom, Judy, and three of the couple’s four children work for the company, Tom is Love’s chairman and Judy is the executive secretary. The couple gave $5 million to the University of Oklahoma’s business college in January 2018.
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