(Photo above: American Royals Executive Management Team. Left to right: Raman Sharma, Robert Krohn, Sam Soniminde, Sean Radev, and Sharad Saraf | Photo courtesy of Robert Krohn)
New Owners’ Big Plans for Expanding La Pine Truck Stop Landmark
The new owners of La Pine landmark Gordy’s Truck Stop and Restaurant have plans to expand the truckers’ haven into potentially one of the biggest travel centers in Oregon while expressing a commitment to forge strong links with the local community.
Raman Sharma is director of operations for site purchasers, American Royals, LLC, which has been set up as a division of Atlanta, Georgia-based OSG Freight Lines to acquire and develop truck stop facilities and associated amenities in strategic U.S. locations west of the Rockies, where analysts expect to see a growing shift nationally.
Sharma came across the opportunity while travelling for business in the state and noticed Gordy’s being marketed for sale by Robert Krohn, owner of Bend-based NPI Services, and to his expert eye it represented a prime location with possibilities for providing additional lodging and enhanced service for truck drivers and other highway travelers.
He said: “When we looked at the prospect further, it seemed La Pine had been overlooked somewhat.
“In studying Oregon Department of Transportation statistics we saw that around 20,000 vehicles traverse that area of Highway 97 in any given 24-hour period.
“La Pine doesn’t have too much to offer right now, but if it is further developed with proper facilities for travelers and visitors with more choices for food and lodging I think people will prefer to spend more time in the town because they won’t have to go so far for their needs.
“It is also a central location for many recreational activities such as snowmobiling or hiking with proximity to some bigger lakes.”
Sharma, whose family started OSG in 1970 and grew it into what is now the number one freight line in India, said the name Gordy’s would be continued as a tribute to the previous owner’s late father Gordon Wanek, who opened the facility in 2000.
Plans for potential expansion are still being formulated but would maintain 24-hour opening and could encompass a significant increase in the size of the convenience store and the addition of a mezzanine floor to include showers, sauna, Jacuzzi, hot tub, fitness room, pool table and TV lounge accessible to commercial driver’s licensees.
A hotel is being contemplated for a proportion of the total 16-acre site, to the east of the store, with both regular rooms and a proportion of suites catering to people travelling with families needing more space, and banquet room facilities which could be available for use by the local community or as a family gathering place.
Other national franchises are being looked at to be part of the complex and the securing of a new U-Haul facility has already been completed. When overall plans come to fruition some 90 jobs are anticipated to be created.
Sharma added: “We want the community to know how much we appreciate the people here and their support.
“I have great respect for the people of this community and know if I develop this land and business this will be good for other businesses and everyone in La Pine.”
Krohn said that during negotiations for the Gordy’s sale, the rapport with the prospective purchasers developed so well that he was hired to become American Royals acquisitions & development coordinator for the eleven states west of the Rockies.
Sharma became so enamored with the Northwest and Central Oregon that he moved his family and corporate offices to Bend.
Krohn said: “When this group moves into an area it is not just about the benefit of building their own business and creating jobs; the community also benefits from their involvement.
“They want to become a meaningful part of the community and have already been involved in expanding programs for local veterans and helping fund school programs and financially contributing to development of the new St. Charles Medical Center facility.”
American Royals’ primary current focus is on expanding in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Northern California, as part of a drive to move operations west in the light of demographic analysis which sees major growth and a general population shift West, particularly from the Midwest and south areas of the U.S.
Krohn added: “From a trucking standpoint, growth is anticipated to be higher in the West, with better margins between the wholesale and retail levels.
“OSG has a significant presence in Europe and is the ninth-largest trucking company in the U.S., being primarily active in the South and South-East coastal states.
“It is a worldwide transportation and shipping distributor for sectors such as the steel and piping industry and distributes for VW and Audi globally.
“The truck stop/travel center retail operations represent a newer division but these guys know their business inside out and hear from their own truckers on what their needs are and how they could be met, and see an opening in providing a higher and better service to drivers.
“They have a very good formula and, for example, the travelers’ lounge is based on what truckers want, such as exercise and recreational facilities, or a therapy spa for back and leg muscles and so forth.”
Krohn said the locating of corporate offices in Bend made sense because expanded regional air service accessible from Redmond and feasible drive times put many locations in the American Royals target area within easy reach.
As construction, development and design teams are being built, Krohn said a focus was on utilizing local talent for the western expansion, including Christiansen Contracting Company headquartered in Redmond and licensed in several states, C2K Architecture, with offices in Portland and Bend and licensed in seven western states and Bend-based LB Engineering.
Krohn said: “There is an emphasis on keeping things local which stretches to the company hiring local CPA’s and attorneys as part of the process.
“This is really a great group to work with. They are very hardworking, which is part of the culture, and they appreciate the value of giving back.
“They have been involved in trucking, transport and shipping logistics on a generational basis and are open and honest, and appreciative of the U.S. system of rules and provision of a level playing field, especially when compared to working in some other countries.”
More than 6,000 truck stops line America’s highways, with Oregon having 21 such locations. Closer to Central Oregon, there are three main stops on Highway 97 including Chemult, Madras and La Pine.
Formerly Jake’s Truck Stop had a small base in Bend, but it shuttered in 2004 and morphed into Jake’s Diner currently located off Hwy 20.
