Most technology leaders build for the screen. David Dawson builds for the floor.

In Season 2, Episode 17 of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with David Dawson, VP of Retail and Digital Technology at Pilot Company, to explore what it really takes to build and lead technology that serves frontline teams — not the other way around.

With nearly 25 years of experience, David has spent his career building the systems that power Pilot's 900+ travel centers: point-of-sale, payment processing, task management, and digital tools that help cashiers, maintenance teams, and store managers deliver for guests 24 hours a day, every day of the year. He talks about what a 24-7 operation demands of technology, why simplicity is a discipline, and why the best decisions get made closest to the work.

Ron and David explore the human side of what Pilot does — including why a Pilot cashier may be one of only one or two human interactions a long-haul truck driver has all day — and what that means for the people behind the counter, the technology that supports them, and the leaders responsible for both.

They also dig into the IT Road Trip program, how AI is reshaping frontline operations, and why "simplify, simplify, simplify" is more than a mantra — it's a leadership philosophy.

If you've ever wondered what great frontline technology leadership looks like from the inside, this episode shows you exactly that.

How Technology Serves the Frontline: Lessons from Pilot — Frontline Fridays, Season 2, Episode 17 is available now.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinefridayspodcast/

David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveadawson/ | https://pilotcompany.com/

Ron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/

YOOBIC: https://yoobic.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

What 900 Travel Centers Teach You About Frontline Technology