May 21, 2013

Jimmy Haslam III returns as CEO of “first love,” Pilot Flying J

February 11, 2013 by 46 Comments

Not even six months after stepping down to focus his efforts on his ownership of the Cleveland Browns, Jimmy Haslam III has decided to return to his role of CEO of Pilot Flying J.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Haslam said he “missed” being CEO of Pilot Flying J. John Compton, the former PepsiCo president, was announced as CEO of the company in September. At this time, Haslam’s resignation was considered a sign that he would be involved more within the day-to-day operations of the Browns, signaling a vast change from that of the team’s previous owner Randy Lerner.

“[This move is]not about John,” said Haslam. ”This is about me realizing my first love is running Pilot Flying J and wanting to return to that job.”

Compton will reportedly work as a strategic adviser to Pilot Flying J, the Browns and the Haslam family.

“I am thrilled to work with Jimmy on the strategic opportunities facing our companies,” said Compton via press release. ”I have greatly enjoyed working directly with the Pilot Flying J teams and look forward to assisting the Cleveland Browns as well. My family and I are proud to call Knoxville our home and we look forward to a long-term relationship with Jimmy and the Haslam family.”

[Related: WFNY Podcast – Art Modell, House of Cards, Quentin Tarantino and the 2013 Tribe]

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  • Ezzie Goldish

    Iiiinteresting. I’m sure us Browns fans are supposed to not worry about this, but… of course we will.

    WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?!?!

  • boomhauertjs

    Is he buying a European soccer team next?

  • http://twitter.com/The_Real_Du Derek DuRoss

    The honeymoon is over. Cue the “panic button” in Cleveland.

    Is Randy Lerner now returning to his “first love”?

    In all seriousness, the JHIII is a smart man and now has HIS smart men in place watching over the Browns. We should probably assume this is a sign that Jimmy feels confident in the leadership in Berea.

  • FearTheRoo

    People went crazy about Kyrie’s “disinterested” comment. Can’t even imagine how Cleveland fans will react to this.

  • Lucas Vaas

    here we go again!

  • Harv 21

    Translation:
    “When Ah said the fan base here is passionate Ah meant certified craaazy. Crazy like a rabid racoon, crazy like one of mah truckers lookin’ at a peroxide blond diner waitress. No reasonin’ with ‘em crazy. Nuts. You wanna act the big man at pressers, Joe? You want cameras on you at games? Go on then, here’s mah stupid orange tie. You wanted that extra mansion on that big ugly lake, Hon? Well, fiil ‘er up with furniture. Ah’ll be back for the next Clinic board meeting.”

  • MrCleaveland

    IT MEANS NOW IS THE TIME TO PANIC!!!!!

  • BenRM

    “[This move is]not about John,” said Haslam. ”This is about me realizing my first love is running Pilot Flying J and wanting to return to that job.”

    I interpret that as, “This move is completely about John, and I think he’s going to ruin Pilot Flying J.”

  • BenRM

    THE SKY IS FALLING! WHY WON’T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME!!!!

  • MrCleaveland

    Cue the “Browns For Sale” rumors.

    Peter, are you listening?

  • BrownsTown23

    everyone, it’s perfectly fine…we have someone in control now (Banner) who has no clue what he’s doing….

  • Garry_Owen

    So, a few months in Berea convinced Haslamaham that he preferred to be involved in a SUCCESSFUL company.

  • Garry_Owen

    So if Pilot/Flying J is Hasgrum’s “first love,” that makes the Browns either: (1) the mistress; or (2) the chick he settled for. Either way, I feel kinda “not pretty” right now.

  • http://www.facebook.com/christopher.miller.376 Christopher Miller

    LOL Didn’t take long for Haslem to figure out how crazy Cleveland fans are. Every move he made we ripped apart. You think he would have known better coming from Pittsburgh. Starting to think the Rooneys hated him and wanted to see him die a slow painful death.

  • Garry_Owen

    CHIP KELLY IS EVIL!!!!!

  • Garry_Owen

    You can always find the Cleveland panic button because it’s the one on the keypad with the lettering worn off from use.

  • brownstown

    Geeze “we suck again!!!”
    Thanks for the 3 months of hope JHIII

  • mgbode

    the joke I was going to write about missing those trucker stop showers doesn’t seem as funny now

  • mgbode

    and it’s the only button on said keypad

  • cmm13

    Did Haslam seriously just hire Banner, Lombardi and Chud then go “8 Mile” by dropping the mic and walking off stage.
    Mom’s spaghetti?

  • mgbode

    that’s silly, he’s a Southern boy:
    http://www.pilotflyingj.com/nascar

  • MrCleaveland

    Orrrrrrr, we’re the tarted-up hot celeb chick, and after Jimmy had a few weekends of wild whatever with us, he sobered up and went back to his Plain Jane and her scrumptious apple pie.

  • DCTribeFan

    beCUZ RUSSELL BRANYAN!!!

  • Garry_Owen

    Think about what you just wrote. The Cleveland Browns are the tarted-up hot celeb chick? Not buying it. This ain’t 1964. More like the seemingly clever and somewhat, maybe, with the right number of beers, attractive co-worker that, because you spend so much time with, you begin to think that there might be “something” there, until you realize – after it’s far too late – that there’s a reason, perhaps multiple reasons, she’s been in the same low-paying, mind-numbing, soul-killing job for so long.

  • Garry_Owen

    Sub-headline: Hasman Investigating Whether Ohio’s Lemon Laws Apply to Sports Franchises.

  • Fern

    there needs to be a “candidly” in there somewhere

  • MrCleaveland

    Possible REAL reasons Jimmy’s going back:

    1. He can’t stand Tony Grossi.

    2. His personnel moves in Knoxville aren’t second-guessed by thousands of opinionated and vociferous customers.

    3. He won’t have to wait two years to change his employees uniforms.

    4. Pilot Flying J never has a year anything close to 5-11.

    5. He really can’t stand Tony Grossi.

  • MrCleaveland

    Yeah, but it’s still the NFL, the hottest of all hot babes imaginable (to continue beating this poor analogy senseless). Okay, we might be the cougar of the bunch who could stand a little tuck here and there, but we’re still running with Beyonce and the gang.

    PFJ is thrilled to get an invite to Aunt Bea’s garden club.

  • MrCleaveland

    I hope he kept the receipt.

  • Garry_Owen

    Tarted-up celeb hot chick cougar it is, then. Whew. Glad we solved that. I feel like I can chalk up today as a “success.”

    [Notice the unnerving silence from the rest of the peanut gallery who did not, under any circumstances, want to get involved in this conversation? Not sure if we're just more brave than everyone else, or if everyone is now averting their eyes, shaking their heads, and muttering in low whispers whenever we pass by. I'm going with "brave."]

  • MrCleaveland

    They’re probably just sitting there in awe.

  • mgbode

    we are just waiting for the inevitable and obvious Betty White reference

  • http://www.facebook.com/jim.gilbert.589 Jim Gilbert

    At a Billion dollar price tag you can still feel pretty

  • maxfnmloans

    I blame Michigan

  • Harv 21

    ” … I feel kinda not pretty right now.”

    I just wanted everyone to leave that alone in its perfect, pristine form. But no. We kill everything. And not kidding myself, if it wasn’t Mr. C, or Garry making doodoo on his own parfait, it was going to be me. Aunt Bea? That’s just horrific, commenter terrorism, self-immolation for no other reason, I’m guessing, than someone doesn’t feel like working today.

  • Garry_Owen

    We hit the point of no return with Mr. C’s “Orrrrrrr.” It didn’t really matter what came after that. The slope was already frozen, greased, and otherwise well-oiled. Believe me, it took strong will power to stop the slide.

  • cmm13

    #6 – Saban agreed to become the new Director of Human Resources

  • MrCleaveland

    Harv, you sound like my wife when I used the decorative hand towels just before her friends came over. They’re towels, they’re there, I used them. I didn’t know they were there just for show.

    Anyway, we’ve got a new guy for the act. Check out NoVa Buckeye’s reply to my comment over in the Dice-K article.

  • Harv 21

    ok, I get it it, I hate decorative hand towels so much, they’re as misleading and pointlessly bourgoise as furniture you can’t sit on. I had a more positive reaction to Garry’s comment but now frankly I’m getting a little mad. Just make sure that nannycam is off and I’m doing a full body wipedown with that precious frilly comment. C’mon Garry comment, pffft, I got a little sumpin sumpin you.

  • Harv 21

    True dat. Let’s try again: “Candidly, when Ah said the fan base here is …”

  • Harv 21

    one more decorative hand towel beef. The latest is to have us really dry our hands on the huge disposable paper towel in the tall container wit the vertical slit. Fine. But every freakin lav that does that has a waste basket the size of an anchovie can. So you’re the fifth one in the lav and there’s used paper towels spiliing onto the floor. How’s your bathroom look now, huh? Where is my server with the decaf.

  • mgbode

    “one more decorative hand towel beef.”

    only one more? man, it sounds disgusting, but, if there’s only one more, then I must have it.

  • The_Real_Shamrock

    Haslam is going back to the Steelers!

  • MrCleaveland

    You’re right on the mark there, Harv. But it could be worse.

    1. Instead of glorious paper towels, they could have those abominable forced-air hand dryers, which every guy uses for four seconds and then runs out of patience and dries his hands on his pants.

    2. Your men’s room concierge could have an attitude.

  • porckchop

    #2 is exactly why I hired Latrell Sprewell to be my bathroom concierge. My Craiglist Ad demanded a concierge with attitude. Go ahead and tell him the toilet paper is a little rough, you might as well tell Jules Winfield that you are a race car in the red. Spree’s great he works for next to nothing, I thought he was one of those guys just cashing paychecks, but the man shows up early just to sit in my bathroom and scream at me, the wife or kids for not capping the toothpaste.
    Added bonus my house is like a combination of Mr. Belvedere, Different Strokes, and Shaft.

  • Harv 21

    is the house theme song available on itunes? Can’t wait to check that wild crossover, or the video, a shrunken white Richard Roundtree in a top hat beating the crap out of babysitters.