Article created for the digital issue of the NATSO Foundation’s magazine
This past year I enjoyed visiting the Space Age Travel Center in Castle Rock, Washington.
Space Age Fuel is a family-owned business created in 1982.
Harold and Jim Pliska, father and son, have more than 60 years of petroleum experience between them. Space Age operates 21 locations and supplies another 60 retail and wholesale fueling facilities.
Planning for the Castle Rock facility started about three years before crews broke ground in mid-2021. The $10 million truck stop is located at I-5’s exit 52.
Today, the location includes an 11,000-square-foot building with a travel center and an A&W fast-food restaurant.
The site also has a parking lot with roughly 90 truck spaces, ten showers, and a lounge with seats, tables, Wi-Fi and a TV to relax between shifts.
The location is beautifully branded, open, inviting and meticulously merchandised.
Here are just a few of the many things that make the location out of this world.
Mission Merchandise
The location is meticulously merchandised, with particular attention to customers’ needs. Among other standouts is a section for kids, a carefully crafted section of men’s products and racks of products not often seen. The displays are changed frequently, with plenty of space between racks to encourage browsing.
Skylight to the Stars
The state-of-the-art travel center boasts a stunning skylight that spans the entire travel center. The skylight improves the use of natural light within the facility and creates a warm atmosphere.
No Black Holes at This Transaction Counter
The transaction counter was built with the need for speed in mind. Located in the center of the facility, it allows for quick checkout. A break in the middle of the counter was added later to let employees get in and out of the space more efficiently.
The Atmosphere is Clear
Like all Space Age Travel Centers, the branding at the location was a standout. The branding is consistently executed, from the fuel canopy to the coffee counter to the signage.
// This article was created for Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the NATSO Foundation. The NATSO Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the traveling public's needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information. (Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.)
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