LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Convenience-store chain Kwik Trip Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a celebration on July 10.
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, state representatives Jill Billings (D) and Lee Nerison (R), La Crosse Common Council President Dick Swantz and Onalaska Mayor Joe Chilsen were on hand to help the La Crosse, Wis.-based chain celebrate.
With $4.8 billion in sales in 2014, Kwik Trip Inc. has grown to be a much larger company than he expected when it began 50 years ago, company president and CEO Don Zietlow told The La Crosse Tribune.
And the second and third generations of the Zietlow family are committed to taking it forward another 50 years, he said during a half-century celebration at the company’s support center.
The first Kwik Trip convenience store opened in 1965 in Eau Claire. Today, the company has 490 Kwik Trip convenience stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa (as Kwik Star) and about 15,000 employees; it serves about sic million customers a week. The company plans to open at least 40 new stores this year, said the report
“When we started Kwik Trip, I thought maybe we would get to 50 stores and that would be the max," said Zietlow.
He said keys to success include “You’ve got to have the best people. You’ve got to have clean stores with clean bathrooms. The best service. And a value on the products that we give our guests.”
Asked whether Kwik Trip might someday expand beyond three states, Zietlow said, “I think that’s going to be up to the grandchildren. We think we can put another 450 stores in our three states where we operate. After that, I think we’ll have an opportunity if we want to go to Sioux Falls (South Dakota) or Omaha (Nebraska) or someplace like that.”
In honor of its 50th anniversary, Kwik Trip announced it is making a $50,000 donation to Camp Hometown Heroes—a weeklong overnight summer camp in Wisconsin offered free for children and younger siblings of fallen U.S. military service members.
The convenience-store chain is also celebrating the 50th anniversary with an offer for any size coffee or 32-ounce soda for 50 cents through August 13. Customers also can enter the Kwik Trip 50th Anniversary Sweepstakes by texting "FIFTY" to 75309. Among the approximately 160 prizes worth a total of $50,000 are a $5,000 family getaway for four courtesy of Rocky Mountain Pies, a $650 Wisconsin weekend getaway for two, golf packages, grills, merchandise and gift cards.
In 2012, CSP named Zietlow as Retail Leader of the Year for Kwik Trip’s accomplishments in vertical integration, foodservice commitment and devotion to its people and culture of "making a difference" in the lives of others (click here or watch the embedded video for Zietlow’s speech).
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