The Truck Stops Here

Matt Mildenberger serves as President/CEO of Mitten Inc. in Oakley, Kansas. Mitten's Travel Center offers both fast and casual dining, an urgent care facility, truck repair service, Blue Beacon truck wash, and more. As President/CEO, Mildenberger took Mitten Inc. from a $20 million to a $80 million operation with 140 employees. In this episode of The Trucks Stops Here, new NATSO Board member Mildenberger shares his leadership philosophy, walking listeners through what is important to him in leading Mitten's.

With special guest:

Matt Mildenberger, President/CEO, Mitten Inc.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content, NATSO

2022 ushers in several new NATSO Board members, including Raina Shoemaker co-owner and operator of Shoemaker's Travel Centers in Lincoln, NE. Passionate about implementing change that benefits the company, as well as the lives of their employees, Shoemaker joined the podcast to share her leadership vision. She shared about new technology they've deployed, company culture ideas, permanent pandemic changes and more.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content, NATSO

The United States and Mexico have a very special trade relationship – especially when it comes to U.S.-grown rice. In this episode, USA Rice Director of International Promotion Asiha Grigsby comes in to talk about the top export market for our rice, including consumer perceptions and what her team is doing to influence them, obstacles and opportunities, and more. And somehow Michael and Lesley bring it around to large Japanese mascots.

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon

Refresh Travel Plazas recently opened the first of several new locations. The project is headed by Ravinder Grewal and Sachin Malik. The location, in Madera, California, was designed to meet the changing needs of the trucking industry and the country. Simran Grewal and Arjun Khosa joined the podcast to share about the location, from its innovative food program to professional driver amenities.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, NATSO, Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content

ExxonMobil Synergy Diesel Efficient will serve as the title sponsor of NATSO Connect, NATSO's annual meeting dedicated to the truckstop and travel center industry. NATSO Connect 2022, which takes place Feb. 20-24, at Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, combines exclusive, executive briefings with opportunities for truckstop and travel center operators to gain specific guidance on how to succeed by speaking directly with industry leaders, their peers and vendor partners. NATSO's podcast sat down with Austin Johanson, Commercial Sales and Marketing Director, ExxonMobil to learn more about ExxonMobil Synergy Diesel Efficient.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, NATSO's Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content

Jimmie's Truck Plaza has had a fantastic year, providing home cooking and a warm welcome to professional drivers in Lee, Florida. Listen and learn about how the truckstop started and what makes them hum today.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, NATSO's Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content

In the fall of 2021, NATSO member Thorntons LLC launched a new Pro Driver Refreshing Rewards app exclusively for the professional driving community. The Pro Driver Refreshing Rewards card and app were designed to provide many of the same benefits as Refreshing Rewards, but also offers special fuel discounts and exclusive rewards for professional drivers.

Scott Harris, Manager of Fleet for Thorntons LLC, and Amy Nicholson, Senior Manager, Digital and Loyalty Marketing at Thorntons LLC, joined NATSO's podcast to talk about the new loyalty program.

They covered how drivers are responding to the new program, what loyalty perks they are finding are most important to the driver community, and the surprises they learned after launching the program.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content, NATSO

While leading the NATSO board during the pandemic certainly was different than what Delia Meier, president at Iowa 80 Group, envisioned when her Chairmanship kicked off at NATSO Connect 2020, it was a rewarding two years. "I really wanted it to be a meaningful year for me and for NATSO and so, it was. But it wasn't what I was hoping for at all, but it was meaningful, and it was important and for that I am grateful," said Meier. "The really exciting part was how NATSO worked together and how truckstops were lifted up as essential businesses during this time," she added. During this last podcast of the year, Meier and Lisa Mullings, NATSO's president and CEO, shared important achievements, how the board adapted during the pandemic and their thoughts on the direction of the truckstop industry.

The COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate, otherwise known as the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), continues to generate concern across the business community. At NATSO, we recognize that the vaccine and testing rule would have a significant, negative impact on truck stops and travel centers, which already suffer from a fragile labor market. To help NATSO members prepare, we invited Robert J. Baker, shareholder, partner at Chartwell Law, on to the podcast to provide information on the OSHA ETS requirements and advice on how to comply with the rule. Baker answered specific questions from NATSO members on religious exemptions, which tests are considered acceptable and more.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Vice President Publishing and Digital Content, NATSO

Robin Puthusseril is Vice President and owner/operator of Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza in Bolingbrook, IL. She has been involved in the truck stop industry since 1999 and is a NATSO Board member. In this special interview from the road, Lisa Mullings, NATSO's President and CEO, interviews Puthusseril to hear about the location. They cover biodiesel, working with family members, staffing a bustling truck stop and much more.

Hosted by:

Lisa Mullings, NATSO President and CEO and Amy Toner, NATSO, Vice President, Publishing and Digital Content