TravelCenters of America quietly named a new president last month

Dive Brief:

BP named Gregory Franks president and chairman of TravelCenters of America upon closing its acquisition of the travel stop chain last month, Graham Collins, vice president of investor relations for BP North America, confirmed on Friday.
Franks, who had been BP’s senior vice president of mobility and convenience for the Americas since 2021, succeeded former TA president Barry Richards, who retired on May 15, according to a social media announcement from the travel center chain.
Although BP revealed a new CEO and CFO for TA after the former acquired the latter in May, the oil company did not publicly announce Franks’ promotion — as well as other executive moves — which happened concurrently with the other two shifts.

Dive Insight:

TA named Franks as a new board member in its May 15 SEC filing, though it did not mention his promotion to president. However, in that same document, he signs off as president and chairman — and does so in the rest of the company’s filings to date.

Franks’ promotion wasn’t the only executive shift that flew under the radar when the acquisition of TA closed. TA also recently named Lloyd Sanford as senior vice president of commercial; Tim Cogil as vice president of merchandising; Jordan Henningsen as vice president of construction, facilities and environmental; and Anne Clancy as vice president of specialty projects, hospitality, a spokesperson for BP confirmed.

Prior to joining BP two years ago, Franks spent over 11 years at 7-Eleven, where he held numerous positions such as senior vice president, CFO and operations support; senior vice president of U.S. operations; and vice president of acquisitions, according to his LinkedIn bio.

Before 7-Eleven, Franks held various positions over the course of nearly 20 years at Walmart, including regional general manager, vice president and corporate officer; and developmental regional general manager.

Gregory Franks, TA’s newest president and chairman

Retrieved from BP.

Richards, who had been president of TA since 2018, retired after spending 23 years with the company. Other leadership positions Richards held during his time at TA included executive vice president of operations; executive vice president of commercial operations; and senior vice president of food operations, according to his company bio.

Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters of America operates 281 travel centers in 44 states between its TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express brands. The company also operates over 600 full-service and quick-service restaurants and several proprietary brands, including Iron Skillet and Country Pride.

London-based BP has a variety of retail models across the U.S., including company-owned retail stores, strategic partnerships, brand licensing, wholesale, business-to-business, dealer-owned and franchise-owned locations. In addition to TA, Thorntons and Ampm, it also owns self-branded stores and Amoco locations.