The green-and-yellow Mapco Travel Centers are in the process of being renamed Williams TravelCenters, following Williams’ acquisition of Mapco Express-Mapco Inc. a year ago.

In addition to the name and signage change, the company plans to expand from 11 to 85 travel centers by 2001, and expand again to 135 by the end of 2001, reports the Memphis Business Journal. Williams TravelCenters, which is based in Nashville, TN, has purchased land as far west as Arizona, as far east as Virginia and as far south as Florida. Fifteen locations are either under construction or scheduled to begin construction this year.
Before acquiring Mapco, Tulsa, OK-based Williams Co. was involved in the pipeline and natural gas handling business, and in the ethanol business for blending gasoline.
When the company bought Mapco, it received not only the existing travel centers, but also 10,000 miles of liquid natural gas pipeline and two refineries, in Memphis and Alaska. About 230 Mapco Express convenience stores are located chiefly in Memphis, Nashville and Alaska.