KINGDOM CITY, Mo. - Gasper's Truck Stop has a new owner.
After being owned by the Atkinson family for 51 years, Ron Atkinson has sold Gasper's to Warrenton Oil. Gasper's is known as a staple to Kingdom City, located at the southwest intersection of U.S. 54 and Interstate 70.
"It's very personal and emotional,"Atkinson said. "It's been our life."
Officials from Warrenton Oil declined to comment.
Atkinson said his grandparents started the business in 1965, and the building and community have seen it go through a number of changes. He began working there full time in 1970 and took over as owner in 1987.
Now was the right time to sell, he said, after running it for so many years with his wife, Cindy.
"Simply, it's because I'm 64 years old," Atkinson said. "We work 70 hours a week. It's 364 days, 24 hours a day. It's a lot. It was the first opportunity we had to sell in 44 years that was good for both the customers and the employees."
Warrenton Oil is a Missouri-based company and has a number of stops around Callaway County, including the Fastlane on U.S. 54 near Gasper's. Atkinson said he's known the owners of Warrenton Oil for many years, which led to the sale.
"It started out as casual conversation," he said. "One thing led to another, and we decided to make the move."
Atkinson said the transition will be smooth.
"They've been around us all of these years," he said. "We know how they operate, and they know how we operate."
Curtis Warfield, village manager and clerk of Kingdom City, gave his thoughts on the sale.
"As sad as we are about the loss from the Atkinsons selling the shop, we look forward to our continued partnership and growth with the Bakers (Warrenton Oil owners) in Kingdom City," he said.
Although Gasper's is sold, Atkinson said he and Cindy will still be around the shop helping the new owners transition. He thinks the process could take up to a year.
"We owe what success we've attained to our customers," Atkinson said. "We appreciate the loyalty customers have showed us the past 51 years and hope that they have the same relationship with the new owners."