What You Missed in the Biz Brief This Week: January 1, 2014

In today’s information-overloaded business world, we often find ourselves deluged with literally hundreds of news items from dozens of sources. While it is likely impossible to read every article and remain productive, by not doing so we risk missing the one article that could change a key business practice or thought process. And that is where the NATSO Foundation’s newest publication, Biz Brief, provides assistance! The NATSO Foundation's Biz Brief is a daily collection of the most relevant business intelligence for truckstop and travel plaza operators. 

While we think the Biz Brief is a must-read every day, if you only read ten news articles this week, these ten most-clicked Biz Brief articles are the ten to read. 

1. Minnesota Truck Stop To Remain Open 
   Kermit Watts, the owner of Watts Cooking and a Pilot Travel Centers' dealer, has announced that the business will remain open. Watts had earlier stated that the truck stop would close at year's end. However, Watts has now notified the Austin City Council that the building has been sold and the business will continue to operate. Click here to read more >

2. Pilot Flying J Voted Best Place To Work The readers of the Knoxville News Sentinel have voted Pilot Flying J as the "Best Place To Work" in the 50-employee and over category. The award was a part of the newspaper's 2013 Readers’ Choice survey. According to employee Bobbie Clemons, “This company is the best place to work. We have great coworkers and great customers, and there is a family focus storewide. We also love it when Mr. Haslam pops in to visit the store. He is a great man and even better person to work for.”Click here to read more >

3. Navistar Drops $900 Million 
   Truck manufacturer Navistar's earnings woes continue as the company reported fourth quarter losses of $154 million. Those results were significantly improved from $2.8 billion in losses experienced in the fourth quarter of last year. Full year losses totaled $898 million compared to a $3 billion loss recorded in 2012. Warranty expenses resulting from the company's failed engine strategy were reported as the primary cause of the losses Click here to read more >

4. What To Know About Motor Oil Applications 
   Do you know the right questions to ask to determine what motor oil a truck should use? Should all vehicles use 15W-40 or is 5W-40 better for some? When should you recommend synthetic or a synthetic blend? The attached article provides the answer to what the appropriate questions are. Click here to read more >

5. Toning Your Mental Strength 
   The ability to control your emotions, focus on the important priorities and remain positive in difficult situations is sometimes defined as "mental strength." How do you keep that metal strength sharp? Some suggestions include regularly evaluating your core beliefs, using your mental energy wisely, using productive thoughts to replace negativity, practice tolerating discomfort and taking the time to reflect on how you and your mental strength are growing. Click here to read more >

6. Flying J Coming To Abilene, TX 
   The Cisco Development Corp. has announced that agreements have been signed that will bring a Flying J Travel Plaza to Cisco, Texas, near Abilene. The plaza will be located on approximately 10 acres of land on the southwest corner of 1-20 and Highway 206. Local media has interviewed business leaders in the area, who were supportive of the development. Incidentally, Cisco is the site of Conrad Hilton's first hotel project, developed in 1919. Click here to read more >

7. Love's Buys Missouri Land 
   According to representatives of Red Carpet Real Estate, Love's Travel Stops has purchased land at the intersection of Interstate 49 and Missouri Highway 86 in Neosho, Mo. Construction could begin in the early spring of 2014, the tenth Missouri location for Love's. Click here to read more >

8. Fuel Consumption Hits Six-Year November High 
   U.S. demand for petroleum products reached the highest level for November in the past six years. Total product deliveries increased 4.9 percent to 19.4 million barrels per day. Ultra low sulfur diesel jumped 6.5 percent to 3.7 million barrels per day. Gasoline demand rose 5.4 percent to a level of 8.94 million barrels per day. At the same time, domestic crude production increased 14 percent to 8.01 million barrels per day, its highest level in 25 years. Click here to read more >

9. Colorado To Spend $30 Million On CNG Stations 
   The Federal Highway Administration has awarded the state of Colorado $30 million for the development of a compressed natural gas filling station network. The state plans to build up to 30 stations and purchase at least 1,000 natural gas vehicles for government use. The initiative is a part of a bigger movement to switch a significant portion of the state's fleet to natural gas power. Click here to read more >

10. 2014 Trends For Food Service 
    Four important trends provide guidance for food service operators going into 2014. As the economy improves, disposable income will most likely increase, creating opportunities to serve new customers and to increase visits by current guests. While incomes may increase, hours in the day will not. Consequently, convenience is more important to our customer than ever. Any feature that your operation can add to enhance speed of service will be rewarded. Beef and chicken prices are on their way up. Time to seek out alternative "center of the plate" items. And, finally, more customers will be using mobile devices to select and order their meals. Click here to read more >

I might be biased, but I think if you aren't receiving Biz Brief, you are missing out! Not a subscriber? Be sure to submit a request to be added to the email list. Already receive it and have feedback for me? Be sure to email me at editor@natso.com.

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