After Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B) became majority owners of Pilot Company on January 31, 2023, they identified Wright and Lillo, longtime Berkshire Hathaway executives, for these key leadership roles to deliver on the company’s long-term growth and vision plans. Shameek Konar and Kevin Wills will be leaving their respective positions after supporting the transition.

Wright has over two decades of experience as a leader in the energy sector and brings expertise in strategic planning and operational excellence. He joined Berkshire Hathaway in 1996 and has served in various executive management roles in the energy sector including most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer for one of the nation’s largest combined natural gas and electric providers. 

Lillo has been an integral part of the Berkshire Hathaway Energy family of businesses for more than 25 years. He has significant expertise in enhancing financial controls, managing risk, and driving responsible value creation.  

"Pilot Company has become one of the most future-forward companies in our industry. Adam’s energy expertise, leadership, and focus on customer satisfaction will help ensure Pilot Company remains a pillar of North America’s transportation ecosystem for decades to come,” said Greg Abel, Vice Chair, Non-Insurance Operations for Berkshire Hathaway. “From the beginning of our journey together, Berkshire Hathaway recognized Pilot Company as a strong business that was well-positioned for the long term and was backed by an innovative and hardworking team. I am confident Adam and Joe have a solid platform from which to propel the company forward.”

As the nation’s largest travel center network, Pilot Company has continued to expand its footprint and prepare for the future of travel, including an investment of $1B in its New Horizons store modernization initiative and installing a coast-to-coast network of EV fast-chargers at many of its locations across the country. Pilot Company’s energy division is operating at record highs to fuel its growing travel center network and support its customers through the industry’s energy transformation. 

“It's an honor to join the Pilot family and to lead such an influential company that has fueled millions of journeys over the past 65 years,” said Wright. “Pilot remains focused on meeting the unique needs of our pro drivers, fleets, guests, and Team Members while advancing a strong company strategy that positions us for the future.”

The Haslam family continues to be an integral part of the company with 20 percent ownership and James A. Haslam II, founder of Pilot Company, and James A. "Jimmy" Haslam III as members of the Board. 

“I want to thank Shameek and Kevin for all that they have done for Pilot Company. They have been instrumental in leading our over 30,000 Team Members through several years of growth and innovation,” said Jimmy Haslam. “While we express our utmost gratitude to them, I also want to welcome Adam, Joe and their families to Pilot Company and to the Knoxville community.”

This next generation of leadership will build upon the company’s long-standing commitment to its team members, the community, and the industry. Pilot Company will remain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee and has a compelling growth strategy in place with a bright future ahead as it aims to be the preferred choice for all interstate drivers. 

Since 2014, DataIQ has been tracking the rise of chief data officers, chief analytics officers, data scientists, data governance experts, and the leaders of key vendors and service providers. Inclusion on the DataIQ 100 2022 list reflects outstanding leadership in the field.

More than 1,000 individuals applied to be on the 2022 list, and the 100 honorees were selected based on three factors: leadership, engagement with broader data and analytics industry, and those who support DataIQ and want to advance the profession. Ameet’s strategic vision and thought leadership in the data and analytics field were what secured him a spot.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Ameet,” Pilot Company CEO Shameek Konar said. “We are very proud of him and the way he leads this company with purpose. His forward thinking and guidance are what helps us understand the needs of our customers, and how we can grow as a company.”

CUSTOMER-FOCUSED CULTURE

Ameet has been with the company for two years and leads the enterprise and data analytics office, which includes data management, governance and operations, and business-aligned data teams. He understands that for our company to succeed in a competitive landscape, it must fully be able to interpret all available information.

He uses data to drive insights into such things as consumer behavior, pricing, supply chain, and expense management. These analytics not only will improve guest experience, but also present other growth opportunities for services and products.

RANGE OF EXPERIENCE

Before joining Pilot, Ameet served as chief data and analytics officer at McDonald’s Corporation and SunTrust Banks, Inc. He also served on the SunTrust Operating Council, an executive committee charged with improving client experience. Additionally, he has held leadership roles in finance and global outsourcing. This combined experience has given him a thorough understanding of both customer-facing and non-customer facing needs.

LEADING WITH INTENTION

Ameet notes that being an effective leader in the data field means endless curiosity. In order to be a good leader, he knows he has to be flexible and evolve in a changing business environment. It’s important for Ameet not only to develop talent, but also to continue learning best practices from other partners in the field.

“We are on a journey to develop talent across the organization and educate our team members on data literacy regardless of their role,” Ameet said. “We have a great mentorship program within our data team to ensure continuous learning and have partnerships with several universities to ensure access to the latest thinking. We also partner with multiple companies such as AWS, Databricks, Snowflake for analytics insight and various consulting companies that help ensure we are at the forefront of knowledge.”

We congratulate Ameet and the other DataIQ 100 recipients for being excellent role models and forward-thinking leaders within their companies and within our industry. To join his team here at Pilot, click here to view the latest opportunities.

The category recognizes those who have had an “exceptional impact on the success or direction of their company, as well as a positive impact on the convenience store industry as a whole.” Each winner was nominated through an in-depth questionnaire covering achievements, leadership, influence, and qualifications – and Allison’s success in each of these areas helped secure the top honor.

“Anyone who knows Allison would agree she deserves this great honor,” said Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Company. “She is a hard worker who always accepts challenges that come her way.”

Five women across the industry receive the top honor amongst hundreds of nominees and Allison’s exceptional achievements over the last 12 months earned her a spot among these amazing women. The five Women of the Year will join an extended class of honorees in categories of Senior-Level Leaders, Rising Stars, and Mentors from across our industry in the retail, wholesale, and supplier sectors. All of this year’s honorees will come together at an awards gala in Las Vegas this fall for an official ceremony and celebration.

New Horizons

Allison has been with the company for nearly 23 years and her current role includes oversight of store modernization initiatives. She oversees the design and execution of store improvement initiatives alongside Pilot Company’s construction and development team.

One of her largest endeavors is a three-year project, called New Horizons, which is a $1 billion initiative focused on upgrading the guest experience and equipping our stores for the future of travel. This project is the company’s largest investment in store modernization to date and will fully remodel more than 400 Pilot and Flying J travel centers, as well as make upgrades at several more locations across the country.

Allison is at the helm of the planning, design and execution of New Horizons, and is incredible passionate about incorporating feedback from team members and guests to help inform what locations and types of improvements need to be made. She also looks at trends and ideas from the retail space, as well as considers how infrastructure, the energy transformation and future products will impact our stores. She and the team strive to make meaningful upgrades at each travel center that will make it a better, faster and more enjoyable experience for team members and guests today, while preparing for what’s next. 

Allison cares about her team, sets a great example, leads with humility and integrity, and has a passion for this company and all our Team Members. We are proud of her and the work she does, especially how she is leading New Horizons, one of our company’s biggest initiatives. – Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Company

Prepared Through Experience

In her prior roles with Pilot, Allison was a Vice President of Operations and spent several years of her career prior to that running stores in various parts of the country. She also served as Chief of Staff during her tenure and gained experience working cross-functionally across many departments to support leaders in strategy and execution of many key initiatives. Through this experience, Allison has developed a keen intuition which helps her make decisions for things that aren’t formulaic. With the many roles and hats Allison has worn over the years, she has a deep understanding of the company, our team members, our guests and our customers, which is immensely helpful as she sets out to help the company modernize its stores for the future.

A Lesson on Personal Growth

Allison routinely mentors and meets with young and up-and-coming leaders including those in similar roles that she’s had throughout her career. When asked about the impact she has made through these relationships, Allison quickly insisted on how much she’s learned through these mentoring relationships as well.

“It’s important for women to support other women. I’ve learned the value in helping other women see the value in themselves. It’s also important for women to push people to get outside their comfort zone. If you want to grow, you have to pursue and take jobs that make you uncomfortable, those that have aspects that you don’t know much about. That’s when you grow!”

We congratulate Allison and the entire class of Top Women in Convenience for being role models and great leaders within their companies and within our industry.

“For the past 10 years, I have personally witnessed Wendy’s dedication to TCA and its image programs,” Dennis said. “TCA is a stronger association because of you and people like you.”

TCA is a specialized trade association solely focused on the truckload sector, representing about 210,000 truck operators. Pilot has been a member of this association for more than three decades, with Wendy serving as our representative through most of those years. Since 1996, she has served on various committees, hosted many dinners, attended trucking events, and ensured Pilot’s active presence in support of the association and truck drivers across the nation.

“The TCA is a vibrant association and being able to expand my support through my work with the TCA is really important to me. I have a passion for America’s truck driver and my work with TCA allows me to do things that put a spotlight on them,” said Wendy.

Wendy has been with our company for 30 years after starting a part-time position during college which has evolved immensely over the years. She has held many roles from being our first-ever rebate coordinator, to supporting sales, marketing and communications, to now supporting our senior and executive leaders in operations. One thing has remained constant – her love for trucking.

“I see our team members in the stores as part of the trucking industry because they’re such a critical part of our supply chain,” Wendy said. “Being able to serve the professional driver and our team members in the stores is the best job in the world.”

Her enthusiasm for the trucking industry has grown immensely throughout the years and is a huge reason for her loyalty to Pilot and to TCA. She is proud of our company’s alignment with TCA’s initiatives to support the backbone of America – our truckers – in every way we can.

“I’m forever grateful to Dennis for choosing me to receive this award,” Wendy said. “He could’ve chosen anyone, and he chose me – the honor of that is huge.”

Pilot Company is investing significantly in growing and enhancing its travel center network this year with plans to add more than 34 locations, including 14 new travel centers and over 20 dealer sites. In partnership with Southern Tire Mart, the two companies are expecting to add 40 new Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J (STMPFJ) service centers to Pilot Flying J locations across the country. This is part of STMPFJ’s expansion plans to provide fleets with over 200 on-premises shop locations within the next few years.

In addition to network growth, Pilot Company is stepping up its initiatives to provide travelers and professional truck drivers with upgraded amenities, more offerings and new services that make the store experience easier, faster and more rewarding. Key initiatives will include testing new food concepts, facility upgrades, technology enhancements and introducing new partnerships, such as the recent addition of GNC wellness products to Pilot Flying J stores nationwide.

“We are always looking ahead and listening to our guests and team members to drive future innovation and strategic investments in our business,” said Shameek Konar, Pilot Company CEO. “As we move into 2022, we have made several key organizational changes and additions that diversify our leadership team and position our company for sustained growth by delivering on our promise to ensure the experience at Pilot is exceptional.”

Continuing to build on its people-first culture and history of giving back, Pilot Company will also focus on enriching the team member experience and exploring additional corporate sustainability programs. Through these initiatives, the company will assess and deploy impactful systems, tools and strategies to advance talent development, recognition and rewards, diversity and inclusion, and wellbeing for all team members. Pilot Company will further leverage its energy division and capabilities as one of the largest suppliers of biodiesel and alternative fuels to evaluate new opportunities and future innovations that will support the industry’s energy transformation.    

To support the ambitious goals of Pilot Company, three individuals have been recently promoted and a new hire added to round out the company’s leadership team.

Allison Cornish has been promoted to VP, Store Modernization. In her new role, Cornish will lead the design and execution of store improvement initiatives alongside Pilot Company’s construction and development team. Cornish is excited to meet and exceed the ever-changing needs of today’s consumers. Since joining the company in 1999, Cornish has held leadership positions in multiple capacities throughout the company, including her most recent role as Zone VP, Operations. Her substantial knowledge on store operations and its impact on the team member and guest experience will play a significant role as she oversees store modernization projects.

Cornish is originally from Lexington, KY and lives in Knoxville. She graduated from Maryville College with a BA in Business Administration.

Jamie Landis has been promoted to VP, Team Member Experience, where she will be responsible for the design, implementation, and elevation of the experience for all team members. This will include a focus on attracting, hiring, retaining top talent and delivering on Pilot Company’s overall Human Resources strategy. Landis joined the company in June 2021 as Senior Director, Human Resources Strategy and Operations. Prior to Pilot Company, Jamie held multiple cross-functional Human Resources leadership roles with Delaware North, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, and Dick’s Sporting Goods where she drove talent strategies that enabled organizational growth and performance.

Landis relocated to Knoxville in 2021 from Buffalo, NY. She holds an MBA from University of Illinois and a BS in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

Tim Langenkamp has been promoted to VP, Business Development – Sustainability. In this new role, he will focus on energy-transition strategies including developing EV charging infrastructure for passenger vehicles and medium- and heavy-duty trucks, developing a strategy for supporting low emission and zero emission vehicles, and continuing to provide low carbon fueling alternatives to our guests. He has been serving as General Counsel for the energy unit of Pilot Company since 2019, working with Pilot Company’s senior team on diversifying and growing revenues. Langenkamp has two decades of experience in private practice, advising clients on public and private securities offerings, corporate governance, M&A and joint ventures.

Langenkamp resides in Houston, Texas. Originally from Austin, Texas, he holds degrees from the University of St. Thomas (BBA) and the University of Houston (JD and LLM in Intellectual Property).

Jonathan Braatvedt joined Pilot Company as VP, Food and Beverage, to focus on expanding Pilot Flying J’s offerings into new business channels, improving operational efficiencies and enhancing guests’ food and beverage experiences. Braatvedt oversees more than 790 owned and operated restaurants across 14 brands, and 670 proprietary fresh delis’, from development to execution. His near-term focus will be to utilize technology to expand Pilot Flying J’s reach to guests beyond the travel center, create crave-able food innovations and provide a frictionless and easy dining experience. Prior to Pilot Company, he spent ten years at Taco Bell in numerous operation and development roles and was an Operational Consultant for municipal agencies prior to that.

Braatvedt relocated to Knoxville, TN, from Irvine, CA, where he immigrated from South Africa in 1999. He has a Masters degree in Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a Minor in History, from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see many talented people being promoted internally and joining the Pilot family to lead our teams as we continue to expand and differentiate our business,” Konar expressed. “We are in the service industry and will continue to do everything we can to make a better day for everyone that walks through our doors.”

For more information about Pilot Company or to learn more about joining the team, visit www.pilotcompany.com.

“Since day one with Pilot in 2017, Shameek has shown his dedication to advancing our company and the industry,” said Jimmy Haslam, current CEO of Pilot Company. “Shameek has successfully launched and grown our energy business at Pilot and become a key member of our leadership team. His knowledge of the energy sector, including expertise in the acquisition, development and operations of infrastructure assets and resources, and his deep appreciation of Pilot’s culture and values are a few of the reasons why we chose him to be our next CEO. We have full confidence that Shameek will continue to grow the legacy of our family’s business.” 

Konar has had a strong track record throughout his career with more than 20 years of experience in the energy and commodity market focusing on acquiring, integrating and optimizing assets. He has a degree in Economics and Mathematics from St. Stephens College in India and a PhD in Economics and Finance from Vanderbilt University.

 “Thanks to Jimmy and Ken Parent’s leadership, we are well positioned for what’s ahead and have an incredible team to get us there,” said Konar, chief strategy officer at Pilot. “When joining the Pilot family, I was immediately drawn to the strong culture that Jimmy and the entire Haslam family created. As CEO, I will be deeply committed to keeping those values in place and investing in our team, while also working to better serve our guests, advance our goals and continue to strategically grow the business.”

Effective immediately, Konar will take on additional responsibilities, including the management of technology, HR, finance and legal. The real estate team will continue to report to Jimmy Haslam and the store operations and development teams will continue to report to Ken Parent, president. As CEO, store operations and development will be added to Konar’s role in 2021.

In January, Parent will become senior advisor to the CEO and the chairman, providing guidance on strategy and key priorities for the company. Parent has helped the company achieve significant growth through the development of successful systems and processes, as well as building an outstanding leadership team. The rest of Pilot’s management team will stay in place.

In 2021 and beyond, the Haslam family will continue to be involved. In addition to Jim and Jimmy, Whitney Haslam Johnson will continue to serve as chief experience officer and member of the board, and Bill Haslam will serve on the board.

This next phase of leadership ensures the company will remain committed to the industry and to expanding the business while upholding the values instilled by the Haslam family. Jim Haslam founded Pilot Corporation in 1958 with one gas station and the family has led the business to become the industry leader it is today. The company has grown to become the nation’s largest operator of travel centers with more than 950 locations and is the largest seller of over-the-road diesel fuel. Pilot has a compelling growth strategy in place and a bright future ahead.