Wilkinson Development is a privately held company, rich in tradition, owned by the founding family. The corporation operates diverse companies that represent multiple ventures and industries in North Platte and throughout the state of Nebraska along the I-80 corridor. In 1978, Gil Wilkinson became the Owning and Managing Broker of the North Platte Century 21 Real Estate franchise. Under his ownership, Century 21 became a regional powerhouse in residential, commercial, and farm and ranch sales. Gil has been instrumental in the growth and vision of his hometown over the last forty years. His oldest son, Mark, returned to his hometown to join Gil and together they formed Wilkinson Development. The Wilkinson's have been instrumental in developing hotels, convenience stores, travel centers, truck stops, quick-bite restaurants, and strip malls. Together the team has developed and managed over 1,000,000 square feet of commercial real estate in multiple Nebraska communities. The original Fat Dogs brand has become an important part of the growing company. The first Fat Dogs convenience store was built in the 1990's and the family has acquired and developed a total of 9 sites in Nebraska. The sites are now evolving into full service Truck and Travel Centers with high volume diesel offerings at several of their locations. Fat Dogs also welcomed two Time Saver locations in North Platte within the parent company in 2020. Other travel centers are planned across the interstate stretching from Lincoln to Sidney.