Berkstresser Runs a Destination, Not Just a Truck Stop
By KATE CANCELMO
It is 7 a.m. and Bobby Berkstresser, owner of Lee Hi Travel Plaza, is poring over charts from the previous day and visiting the field desk for diesel and fuel sales. He is checking his company’s performance in Berky’s restaurant, the convenience store, and his towing and excavating business. Berkstresser does all of this before breakfast.
Since 1981, Berkstresser has transformed the 260-acre property into a unique travel destination by providing better service and food at a good price. He bought Lee Hi Truck Stop for $5,000 down and employed nine people. He now runs a 240-employee operation and projects close to $75 million in revenue this year.
Berkstresser attributes his success to exceeding customers’ expectations. He wants to instill competitive traits in his managers and employees by looking at the week’s totals.
“Everyone here is fundamentally a jack of all trades. There are no lot lizards,” said Ron Hockman, a Lee Hi grounds man. Hockman has worked for Berkstresser two years and lives in an RV on the property, which includes a campground. He has done janitorial work, kitchen duty, and even prunes brush covering Lee Hi billboards on the interstate.
One out of five employees has been with Berkstresser for 20 years; many of the most veteran workers are waitresses at Berky’s. Nancy Hayslett, for example, has been working in the restaurant for 22 years. Her sister and daughter work there too. “It is a family restaurant. All of the waitresses are close and we stick together,” she said.
Regulars like trucker Claude Godfrey call Nancy Jake. Jake is always ready to work.
Godfrey drives from Texas to New Jersey twice a week and twice a week he eats in the Tin Toy Café inside Berky’s. He can tell you that there is nothing on the East coast that compares to Lee Hi Travel Plaza.
“I pass 200 truck stops just for this one. They got clean showers and nice girls. I probably spend $200 a month here,” he said.
Margaret Ruley, who has been working there for 16 years, remembers when there were only five tiny booths.
Now, the restaurant has two rooms and a 1950s theme with an extensive collection of tin toys and pedal cars from the early 1900s. It happened by accident,” Berkstresser said. A consultant gave him a neat toy and Berkstresser bought an entire collection to display in the restaurant.
Berkstresser brings ingenuity, creativity, and attention to detail to the other aspects of his business. He thinks of new ideas and new ways of doing things to maximize profit. “We make a little money everywhere. That’s the key. We make pennies everywhere,” he said.
Bought White’s truck stop
For years, Berkstresser dreamed of owning White’s Truck Stop. He saw tremendous growth potential. In January he got that chance. He acquired the company for $8 million and spent and additional $1 million for renovations.
Now, White’s Travel Plaza will operate under the same mentality as Lee Hi Travel Plaza, only under a different roof. Berkstresser made significant changes to the physical appearance of Whites’ convenience store and raised prices commensurate with better service and value.
He boasts a 36 percent profit margin with sales of $210,000 during August, up from $180,000 in May. Berkstresser also plans to open a coffee shop and a second Berky’s, guaranteeing the same home style meals as the original.
Berkstresser runs an expansive and profitable business, but he had to make changes to his organization during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009. He laid off employees and watched his numbers more than ever.
He employs up to four people at a time from the Rockbridge Regional Jail work release program, a move that other business owners may be hesitant to make. But both parties benefit. Berkstresser pays the inmates minimum wage and they can reintegrate into the community before they finish their sentence.
Berkstresser is sensitive to changing technology. In January, new vehicles will take an alternative gas called diesel exhaust fluid. Both Lee Hi and White’s Travel Plaza must make plans to adapt their current distribution.
Berkstresser’s mega travel centers are evidence that businesses can evolve quickly. His hard work, attention to detail and business acumen have helped him thrive in this service business. He hopes he will be able to provide anything that a traveler would desire. “I haven't been this excited about our people and our future in years,” he said.
It is 7 a.m. and Bobby Berkstresser, owner of Lee Hi Travel Plaza, is poring over charts from the previous day and visiting the field desk for diesel and fuel sales. He is checking his company’s performance in Berky’s restaurant, the convenience store, and his towing and excavating business. Berkstresser does all of this before breakfast.
Since 1981, Berkstresser has transformed the 260-acre property into a unique travel destination by providing better service and food at a good price. He bought Lee Hi Truck Stop for $5,000 down and employed nine people. He now runs a 240-employee operation and projects close to $75 million in revenue this year.
Berkstresser attributes his success to exceeding customers’ expectations. He wants to instill competitive traits in his managers and employees by looking at the week’s totals.
“Everyone here is fundamentally a jack of all trades. There are no lot lizards,” said Ron Hockman, a Lee Hi grounds man. Hockman has worked for Berkstresser two years and lives in an RV on the property, which includes a campground. He has done janitorial work, kitchen duty, and even prunes brush covering Lee Hi billboards on the interstate.
One out of five employees has been with Berkstresser for 20 years; many of the most veteran workers are waitresses at Berky’s. Nancy Hayslett, for example, has been working in the restaurant for 22 years. Her sister and daughter work there too. “It is a family restaurant. All of the waitresses are close and we stick together,” she said.
Regulars like trucker Claude Godfrey call Nancy Jake. Jake is always ready to work.
Godfrey drives from Texas to New Jersey twice a week and twice a week he eats in the Tin Toy Café inside Berky’s. He can tell you that there is nothing on the East coast that compares to Lee Hi Travel Plaza.
“I pass 200 truck stops just for this one. They got clean showers and nice girls. I probably spend $200 a month here,” he said.
Margaret Ruley, who has been working there for 16 years, remembers when there were only five tiny booths.
Now, the restaurant has two rooms and a 1950s theme with an extensive collection of tin toys and pedal cars from the early 1900s. It happened by accident,” Berkstresser said. A consultant gave him a neat toy and Berkstresser bought an entire collection to display in the restaurant.
Berkstresser brings ingenuity, creativity, and attention to detail to the other aspects of his business. He thinks of new ideas and new ways of doing things to maximize profit. “We make a little money everywhere. That’s the key. We make pennies everywhere,” he said.
Bought White’s truck stop
For years, Berkstresser dreamed of owning White’s Truck Stop. He saw tremendous growth potential. In January he got that chance. He acquired the company for $8 million and spent and additional $1 million for renovations.
Now, White’s Travel Plaza will operate under the same mentality as Lee Hi Travel Plaza, only under a different roof. Berkstresser made significant changes to the physical appearance of Whites’ convenience store and raised prices commensurate with better service and value.
He boasts a 36 percent profit margin with sales of $210,000 during August, up from $180,000 in May. Berkstresser also plans to open a coffee shop and a second Berky’s, guaranteeing the same home style meals as the original.
Berkstresser runs an expansive and profitable business, but he had to make changes to his organization during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009. He laid off employees and watched his numbers more than ever.
He employs up to four people at a time from the Rockbridge Regional Jail work release program, a move that other business owners may be hesitant to make. But both parties benefit. Berkstresser pays the inmates minimum wage and they can reintegrate into the community before they finish their sentence.
Berkstresser is sensitive to changing technology. In January, new vehicles will take an alternative gas called diesel exhaust fluid. Both Lee Hi and White’s Travel Plaza must make plans to adapt their current distribution.
Berkstresser’s mega travel centers are evidence that businesses can evolve quickly. His hard work, attention to detail and business acumen have helped him thrive in this service business. He hopes he will be able to provide anything that a traveler would desire. “I haven't been this excited about our people and our future in years,” he said.
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