Did you enjoy the high-flying pop-up BMX event in Florence, South Carolina? How about the break-dancing team in Palmdale, California? That’s right, during Driver Appreciation in September, we’ve thanked and celebrated professional drivers with grand openings, re-openings, high-flying bikers, and break dancing!
With New Horizons underway and Driver Appreciation here at Pilot, we wanted to make sure we went big this year as we continue to thank all the professional drivers out there for going further to keep our economy moving. As we celebrated our modernized and recently completed renovations at our Florence, South Carolina Pilot Travel Center, we teamed up with Monster Energy, Women in Trucking, United Through Reading and social media influencer Clarissa Rankin to show off the new look and improved amenities for professional drivers.
“We figured there was no better way to kick off the Labor Day festivities in Florence than with some bike tricks, Monster Energy freebies, swag, and gas card giveaways,” said Allison Cornish, VP of Store Modernization at Pilot Company. “Our team worked hard to make these renovations happen quickly, and we’re looking forward to celebrating them as they continue to serve the Florence community and everyday travelers.”
Monster Energy set up a BMX track in the parking lot, and their aerial stunt team flipped and spun for guests and drivers as they refueled, refreshed, and continued on their journey.
Women In Trucking brought out their traveling educational trailer, WITney, hauled by their newest driver ambassador Kayleigh McCall. WITney shares the incredible stories and achievements of women in the transportation industry as they work to promote gender diversity industry. It also features a full-size truck driving simulator!
As part of our Giving Back initiative, we donated $20,000 to the Florence 1 Schools for its video game design course and robotics program.
On September 16, we headed to the other side of the country, Palmdale, California, for our second event of the month. This brand-new travel center off Highway 138 brings 11,000 square feet of great food, great services and excellent amenities to the community and the professional drivers passing through.
What better way to celebrate a new store, our new team members, and another place to serve guests and professional drivers than through dance?
Monster Energy brought out their break-dancing team, The Breakers, to put on a show for guests and thank professional drivers for everything they do for us. They even gave us a few dance lessons in the parking lot!
To kick things off in Palmdale, we held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local officials and community members. Our team presented a check for $15,000 to the Antelope Valley High School District for their STEM program and an additional $5,000 to Palmdale School District to help the middle school esports program.
To close out the month, we headed to Boonville, Missouri with all sorts of swag, giveaways, and Monster Energy freebies to celebrate the store’s remodel. The event included a $10,000 check presentation to the local school district, with school cheerleaders coming out to kick off the day’s festivities.
“The donation we have received to support PLTW means so much to our students, teachers, parents, and community. We recognize many of our students do not experience hands-on learning opportunities outside of school. Through this funding, our teachers [can] build positive relationships with our students and get to know them as learners. With this donation, we are able to provide our students with an experience of a lifetime that expands beyond the current curriculum in school.” – Boonville R-1 School District
Thank you to the Florence and Palmdale communities for joining us as we celebrated and thanked professional drivers for everything they do across North America. We’re excited to continue our work overhauling stores and building new ones to bring all our guests the best experience possible while out on the road. Learn more about New Horizons by visiting https://www.pilotflyingj.com/new-horizons.
