This is an unedited press release from Tejon Ranch Company:

TEJON RANCH AND TRAVELCENTERS OF AMERICA (TA) OPEN NEW TRAVEL CENTER ON INTERSTATE 5 AT HIGHWAY 99 JUNCTION

$25 Million Retail Facility Highlights Continued Investment from Tejon Ranch and Partners in Kern County Infrastructure; New Location Expands Local Employment and Sales Tax Base

Tejon Ranch, Calif. (December 9, 2009) — Tejon Ranch Co. and its partner, TravelCenters of America, today join with Kern County civic and community leaders to celebrate the grand opening of California’s newest TA travel center. The $25 million retail facility is located within Tejon Industrial Complex (TIC) at the Laval Road exit of Interstate 5, just south of the Highway 99 junction. This strategic site is positioned to serve the approximately 121,000 commercial and passenger vehicles passing the location each day on California’s most vital north-south corridor.

“Tejon Ranch is committed to quality, and the new TA travel center is a perfect example of that commitment,” said Robert A. Stine, President and CEO of Tejon Ranch Co. “This new facility represents the collective efforts of Tejon Ranch and our partners at TravelCenters of America to provide a quality guest experience for motorists and professional drivers on both sides of Tejon Industrial Complex.”

“We are extremely proud to continue our long standing partnership with Tejon Ranch with the opening of this newest TA travel center,” said Thomas O’Brien, President and CEO of TravelCenters of America. “This state of the art facility is an example of TA’s taking its industry’s lead position in providing the most comprehensive and diverse services and the best hospitality on the interstate for motorists and professional truck drivers alike.”

“The continued investment of Tejon Ranch and its world-class partners demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to Kern County,” said Richard Chapman, president and CEO of Kern Economic Development Corporation. “Tejon Ranch’s travel centers provide local construction and permanent job opportunities for our community. They are also an important component of the county’s travel and tourism economy, collecting sales and gas tax revenue from the millions of travelers using I-5, providing a critical economic stimulus for Kern County in these challenging times.”

The new TA Travel Center features significant amenities for consumer motorists, including: a 24-pump Chevron gas station; two food courts featuring quick serve restaurant offerings from Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Subway and Popeye’s Chicken, and abundant, clean restroom facilities. The new center also includes a well-stocked convenience store featuring a TA Café Express, the "grab and go" food and beverage concept offering customers a wide selection of tasty breakfast sandwiches, pastries, fresh deli sandwiches, gourmet coffees, cappuccinos and hot chocolates.

Professional drivers will find the TA facilities cater to their truck repair and maintenance needs with a four-bay truck service center staffed by highly-trained, ASE-certified technicians that is open 24-hours, seven days a week. Also located in the shop building is a deli and retail store. Other conveniences at the site include eight diesel lanes, a 221-space truck parking area, emergency road service through RoadSquad, a TV room featuring a surround sound system and a 60” plasma TV, a game room, Interstate WiFi throughout the facility, CAT Scales, ten private showers, and much more.

“All of our travel centers at Tejon Industrial Complex are state-of-the-art facilities, and utilize new technologies to reduce diesel emissions, conserve energy, recycle wastewater and provide efficient freeway connections to reduce congestion,” said Barry Hibbard, Vice President of Commercial and Industrial Development for Tejon Ranch. “By offering clean, inviting, modern facilities, Tejon Industrial Complex excels in serving the needs of both the professional drivers employed by our world-class tenants as well as travelers on I-5.”

The new travel center replaces an existing TA travel center at TIC that was located adjacent to the development site on the east side of the freeway. Now that the new center is operational, the former TA facility will be razed and its site prepared for future development of additional commercial space. On the western side of the freeway, TIC already features more than 60-acres of retail offerings, including: a Petro Travel Plaza with Iron Skillet Restaurant, Chevron, Best Western Hotel, In-N-Out Burger, Starbucks, Panda Express, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s.

About TravelCenters of America LLC (AMEX: TA)

TravelCenters of America (TA), headquartered in Westlake, Ohio is a leading national chain of travel centers in 41 states and Canada under the TravelCenters of America and Petro brands. With convenient locations on interstate exits, TA offers its customers diesel and gasoline fueling services, full and quick-service restaurants, heavy truck maintenance services, 24-hour convenience stores, electronic communication (WiFi) and other services — all within large, high traffic facilities. For more information on TravelCenters of America, please visit www.tatravelcenters.com

About Tejon Ranch Company (NYSE: TRC)
Tejon Ranch Company is a diversified real estate development and agribusiness company, whose principal asset is its 270,000-acre land holding located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Bakersfield. For more information on the company, please go to www.tejonranch.com. For more information on Tejon Industrial Complex, please go to www.tejonranch.com/tic.

This is part of the December 04, 2009 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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