July 7, 2022
Allison Cornish – a Lexington, Kentucky native and current Knoxville resident – has been named a Convenience Store News 2022 Top Women in Convenience in the elite Women of the Year category. Since joining Pilot Company in 1999, Cornish has exponentially grown her career and is now leading the company’s largest investment in remodeling its travel centers as VP of Store Modernization.
She joins four other Women of the Year honored for representing the convenience store industry in the retail, wholesale, and supplier sectors. The prestigious award 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 Cornish’s immense contributions in each of these areas are demonstrated in her long-standing dedication to Pilot Company and the thousands of team members she has positively impacted.
“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. We are proud of her and the incredible work she does, especially how she is leading New Horizons, one of our company’s biggest initiatives.”
Cornish is a graduate of Maryville College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management. She joined Pilot Company as her first job out of college and throughout her career has held leadership positions in multiple capacities including Regional Manager, Chief of Staff and VP of Operations. Cornish is dedicated to mentoring young up-and-coming leaders and female colleagues across the business and its more than 650 company-operated travel centers.
“It’s important for women to support other women. I’ve learned the value in helping other women see the value in themselves,” Cornish said. “I’ve heard myself give advice to other women and have stopped to think that I need to follow that same advice myself! Sometimes my role is to push people to get outside their comfort zone. I encourage them to be open to taking on new challenges or pursuing jobs that maybe have aspects that they don’t know much about. Growth can feel uncomfortable at first but with determination, patience, and a willingness to listen and learn, you’ll be successful.”
To read more about the Top Women in Convenience named by Convenience Store News, visit csnews.com/convenience-store-news-names-2022-top-women-convenience. For more information about Pilot Company’s family of brands and career opportunities, visit jobs.pilotflyingj.com.
About Pilot Company
Pilot Travel Centers LLC (“Pilot Company”) keeps North America’s drivers moving as one of the leading suppliers of fuel and the largest operator of travel centers. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot Company has grown its network to more than 800 retail and fueling locations and as the third largest tanker fleet in North America, supplies more than 14 billion gallons of fuel per year to the market. Its energy division also supplies DEF, bio and renewable fuels and provides hauling and disposal services to the oil field sector. Pilot Company serves 1.5 million guests per day and provides over 70,000 fleet customers with solutions for fuel, credit, factoring, services and rewards. Its Pilot and Flying J travel center network includes over 750 locations in 44 states and five Canadian provinces with more than 790 restaurants, 75,000 truck parking spaces, 5,300 deluxe showers, 6,200 diesel lanes and offers truck maintenance and tire service with Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J. The One9 Fuel Network connects a variety of fueling locations to provide smaller fleets and independent professional drivers with everyday value, convenience, credit and perks. More information on locations and rewards are available in the myRewards PlusTM app.
Pilot Company is currently ranked No. 7 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies. For additional information about Pilot Company, its 28,000 team members and commitment to giving back, visit www.pilotcompany.com.
