"We're excited to offer our second LEED store to the residents of Iowa," said Kyle Krause, Kum & Go president and CEO. "We have a long history with businesses and patrons within the community and hope to continue that partnership. [image-nocss] We appreciate the business Iowa has given us for almost 50 years, and we will continue to provide superior service in environmentally friendly buildings."
Kum & Go has filed for registration with the U.S. Green Building Council and expects to obtain LEED certification within six months. The council will rate the store on a number of categories, including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design.
The new store features 20 fueling stations, offering unleaded, super unleaded, premium, diesel and E85 fuels. Kum & Go has offered E85 since 1997 and currently offers E85 at 39 of its stores located across nine states.
As part of Kum & Go's commitment to developing environmentally friendly building and operating practices, the majority of its new stores are being constructed using local building materials and are being equipped with heavily insulated glass, LED cooler door lights, sun reflecting roofs and energy-efficient heating/air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Additional measures for LEED certification include providing alternative transportation options such as electronic vehicle charging and carpool/van parking, construction waste management, 30% water use reduction and use of materials that do not emit solvent vapors and other harmful chemicals into the store environment.
While the company expects for some additional upfront costs in materials and the construction and LEED registration processes, Krause said he believes the investment will quickly be returned with reduced utility and water consumption.
The LEED Green Building Rating System encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance.
Kum & Go also reopened a c-store in Clear Lake, Iowa, on December 19. The original 1,200 square foot Kum & Go store in this location was demolished and a new 3,400-square-foot store was built in its place. The store took 81 days to construct. The store features 16 fueling stations.
"We are thrilled to offer the residents of Clear Lake a brand-new Kum & Go store with easier access and a broader offering of products," said Krause. "We appreciate our customers' patience and loyalty during construction. Kum & Go has enjoyed doing business in Clear Lake for many years and we're excited to introduce our new store to the community."
The retailer also opened a new store in Springdale, Ark., on December 12. The 3,400-square-foot store took 63 days to construct. The new store features 20 fueling stations.
"We're excited to offer our fifth store to the residents of Springdale," said Krause. "We have built great relationships with businesses and patrons within the community and hope to continue that partnership. We appreciate the business Springdale has given us, and we will continue to provide superior service in addition to offering a large selection of quality products."
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go has more than 400 locations in 12 states (Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin). In addition to a variety of convenience products, Kum & Go provides customers a proprietary mix of products under the Hiland brand. Other proprietary product offerings include Java Ridge Premium Coffee, Napa Creek and Sea Ridge wines, Go Fresh Market sandwiches, Nuclear energy drinks and Nutri2O nutraceutical waters.
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