C-stores see energy drink category splinter into segments including wellness, performance. Meanwhile, protein has become mainstream, Pilot's Nicholas Reed says at NACS Show session 8 October 2026 Pilot Co.'s Nicholas Reed spoke Wednesday at the NACS Show in Las Vegas | Photo credit: CSP Staff Energy is perhaps the biggest and most important beverage category in convenience stores, Nicholas Reed, category manager at Knoxville, Tennessee-based travel center operator Pilot Co., said Wednesday at the NACS Show in Las Vegas. Energy is one of the four key growth areas in beverages, along with protein, hydration and functional beverages, he said. "Energy continues to be one of the most important and fastest-growing beverage categories, but what's interesting isn't just the growth of the category itself, it's how it continues to evolve," Reed said. * Pilot Co. is No. 16 on CSP's 2026 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Historically, energy brands have primarily competed on stimulation, caffeine levels and performance, but today Reed said he's seeing brands win in a variety of ways and carve out their own segments in the category. "You still have your traditional workhorses; Red Bull and Monster are behemoths within the category," Reed said. "They drive significant volume and are extremely important." However, there also are other brands carving out their own segments, Reed said, calling out Celsius, Alani Nu and Bloom Energy in the wellness-oriented segment. Other brands, like C4 Energy and Bang Energy, lean heavily into athletic performance and workout occasions, he said. Meanwhile, brands like Ghost have demonstrated the power of flavor partnerships, fandom and consumer experience. "The common theme across all these is that consumers want energy, but they're just also looking for something else to go along with it, and that's not just limited to energy," Reed said. "We're seeing that in a lot of different performance categories. Take protein as an example." Protein goes mainstream "When we talk about performance beverages, protein is one of the clearest examples," Reed said. Ten years ago, protein was largely associated with bodybuilders, athletes and specialty nutrition stores, Reed said. Today, however, protein has become mainstream. "Sure, consumers are still using it for those traditional ways, but increasingly they're also using it for appetite suppression, recovery, everyday nutrition and just building those wellness routines," he said. "And this isn't just a trend across beverage. As you walk the NACS floor today, I'm sure you'll notice that everyone and their mother has some sort of protein offering up there." While wellness routines have helped in a lot of the protein growth out there, "another important thing to recognize is that a lot of success for protein has come from manufacturers finding a way to make protein taste good and not sacrifice taste. In fact, that might be protein's greatest innovation. Not necessarily how do we jam more proteins into something, but how do we make that consumption experience enjoyable?" And as protein continues to grow, consumers are also "telling us something different: They want the benefit of protein without always having to go to a shake or dairy-based product in order to get it," Reed said. This is where clear protein, "a lighter, more refreshing delivery" versus a heavy milkshake, comes in, Reed said. As protein continues to grow, consumers are also reshaping what they expect the delivery system to look like, he said, adding that while traditional protein shakes have been extremely successful, they're often associated with meal replacement and workout recovery. Many consumers want the benefit of protein shakes without drinking a heavy beverage that bogs them down, he said. Clear protein is "not only allowing users another way to get protein, but it's also unlocking additional beverage occasions," he said.

Pilot, Tesla open first 2 heavy-duty truck charging sites. Travel centers in Georgia and California mark the first locations in a planned network. October 26, 2026 4:30 PM, EDT A Tesla Semi electric truck sits at the Pilot travel stop in Ellabell, Ga., that now features six heavy-duty charging stalls. (Pilot via LinkedIn) Key takeaways: Pilot Co. and Tesla Inc. opened heavy-duty electric truck charging sites at travel centers in Georgia and California in October, establishing the first two locations in a planned network along major U.S. freight corridors. The sites in Ellabell, Ga., and Tulare, Calif., are part of a charging network the companies are developing at select Pilot and Flying J locations. The Ellabell site has six heavy-duty charging stalls, and the Tulare site has four. Each location in the broader network will feature four to eight stalls powered by Tesla's V4 cabinet technology. "Pilot is proud to bring heavy-duty charging directly to key trucking routes and pair it with the services and amenities drivers rely on," said Shannon Sturgil, senior vice president of alternative fuels at Pilot. "With these initial locations, we're making fleet electrification a more accessible option for longhaul transportation and are excited to continue working with Tesla to move at the pace and preference of our customers." According to Tesla, each stall can deliver up to 1.2 megawatts of power, enabling a Tesla Semi to recover 60% of its charge in 30 minutes. Additional heavy-duty charging locations are under construction, including sites in Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas, Nev., that Pilot said are nearing completion. Other heavy-duty truck charging locations associated with the Tesla-Pilot partnership are set to open soon in Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas, Nev. (Pilot via LinkedIn) Pilot and Tesla announced their collaboration in January, with plans to install Megachargers at select travel centers along Interstate 5, Interstate 10 and other major freight corridors. The network is expected to include locations in California, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada and Texas. The project is part of Pilot's investments in transportation energy, which also include a coast-to-coast passenger electric vehicle charging network and lower-carbon fuels, such as renewable diesel and biodiesel. Pilot ranks No. 33 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America. Assisted by AI.

Ara Partners hits hard cap for inaugural energy fund. Ara Partners held the final close of Ara Energy Fund I at its hard cap with $1.8 billion in fund commitments and more than $700 million in associated co-investment. The fund launched in the second quarter of 2025, attracting new and existing Ara investors, including pension funds, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations across North America and Europe. Liberty Mutual Investments made an anchor commitment as part of a partnership with Ara covering multiple investment platforms, including collaboration on existing and future investments. The Pilot connection. Ara established its energy investment business in partnership with HF Capital, the family office of James A. Haslam II, founder of Pilot Company, a national operator of fuel and travel centers. Formed in 2020, HF Capital committed $725 million to Ara Partners in 2024 to pursue investments in marine biofuels, power generation, and energy supply and distribution businesses. The connection extends to Ara Energy's management. Partner and Business Head Shameek Konar previously served as CEO of Pilot, where he oversaw initiatives involving low-carbon fuels. He was joined at Ara by several former Pilot colleagues, including Partner James Chiu, Managing Director David Sims and Principal Matthew Dunn. Chiu was Pilot's vice president of strategy and execution and helped develop its Houston-based energy business through acquisitions in fuel distribution and logistics. Dunn led mergers and acquisitions at Pilot, including transactions supporting a nationwide electric vehicle charging infrastructure program. Building the portfolio. The team's investments include an approximately $875 million transaction announced in March 2026 involving Gate City Power, Gate City Renewable Fuels and an interest in the JET retail fuel network. Ara Energy acquired the Gate City portfolios from HF Capital and partnered with Ara Infrastructure on the JET investment. The transactions were financed through equity from Ara-managed funds and co-investment vehicles. Gate City Power provides thermal generation capacity across the NYISO and ISO-NE electricity markets, while Gate City Renewable Fuels operates U.S. ethanol facilities. JET adds a fuel retail network of approximately 970 stations across Germany and Austria. The investment is also among the holdings covered by Ara's partnership with Liberty Mutual, alongside Centric Fiber, a fiber-to-the-home provider serving master-planned communities in Texas, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina. "Ara Energy invests across three uncorrelated sectors, power, biofuels, and delivery and distribution," Konar said. The strategy involves acquiring and operating assets along the conventional energy supply chain, including reducing their emissions where the economics support doing so. Ara Energy's power portfolio now totals approximately 3 gigawatts across NYISO, ISO-NE and PJM, in addition to approximately 400 million gallons of ethanol production capacity per year. Advisors. Threadmark served as placement agent for Ara Energy Fund I, while Davis Polk provided legal counsel on the fund's formation.