Love's Travel Center opens

The new Love’s Travel Center extended some love right from the start.
During a celebratory ribbon-cutting, Love’s presented two generous $5,000 donations — one to Kuzma Care Cottage, Wilmington’s local food pantry, and another to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which has helped more than 200 area children receive medical assistance.
City officials and members of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce gathered Thursday morning at Love’s newest station at the corner of North River Road and Illinois Route 53. Within the first hour the parking lot was full with travelers and truckers alike for the 24/7 facility that includes gas, diesel, dining, and a focus on community connection.
“We love being a part of the community,” said James Riley, general manager of the new location. “We take care of our people. We always have clean places, friendly faces, and we’re looking forward to getting involved even more here in Wilmington.”
The center features eight gasoline pumps on the east side for cars and RVs, along with eight diesel lanes in the rear for truckers — making it a key stop for both cross-country haulers and local commuters. Inside, visitors can enjoy a Hardee’s restaurant, a fresh kitchen with made-to-order salads and parfaits, shower/laundry facilities and a convenience store packed with road trip essentials.
Riley noted that it took approximately seven months from breaking ground to opening day, and the center has already hired 73 employees from the local region to staff the restaurant, deli, convenience store, and service center.
“It took a lot of moving parts,” he said. “A lot of people played a role in making this happen.”
The new Love’s is also offering fuel discounts through the Love’s Connect app, giving users 10 cents off per gallon regular fuel and 25 cents off on auto diesel. The app can be used at any of the 670 centers across the country.
Though new to Wilmington, Riley, of Gardner, is no stranger to the area.
“I’ve worked in this region for years, including as a Dairy Queen manager in Diamond,” he said. “Even then, I was giving back to the community — now with Love’s, we’re sponsoring Catfish Days and beer tickets. We’re jumping right in.”
Workers were busy Thursday morning putting last-minute touches to the building’s interior. The Hardee’s Restaurant was due open Monday as staff was still being trained. Riley hopes later additional will include beer sales and they’ve already created a video gaming room.
The only entrance to Love’s is off Route 53. Plans for additional access off North River Road were considered but “ComEd wouldn’t allow us to go under their wires” for a second entrance, Riley noted.
Love's Travel Stops is the nation's leading travel stop network with 670 Love's locations in 42 states, growing by 40 or more stores every year.
Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 40,000 people.