For Anita VanLoan, managing the travel store at the Wildwood, Fla., TA is about making a difference in her customers' lives.

"They're tired and they often walk in here upset over things that happened to them on the road," VanLoan says. "We just try to turn them around so they're happy when they leave."

That can be as simple as delivering great service with a smile, or it can mean having just the right item in stock to make a trucker's day.

"I like to be out in the store and make things look nice," VanLoan says. "We pride ourselves on working to get the right mix of merchandise. We work to have the merchandise travelers want and need."

VanLoan started at the Wildwood TA 16 years ago as a cashier. She moved up to bookkeeper, then store manager, a post she's held for nine years. She has seen the TA grow from four diesel pumps to 16, and the addition of a food court and large gas island. "Everyday we work at making the customer happy," Van Loan says.