For a smaller-size community (population around 25,000), Clinton, Iowa, is a veritable hotbed of activity at this quaint city located on the western bank of the Mississippi River. Clinton has attracted everything from large country music fests to international exhibits, and more.
Right there to take advantage of these opportunities is a small-size convenience-store brand in Phillips 66-branded Lyons Filling Station.
Twenty years in business (launched June 2006), Pat and Ellen Determan have worked to become deeply ingrained in the local community—and their efforts are proof that small independents can compete well among larger corporate brands by building strong civic relationships that are sustained over time.
Not an insular retailer, Pat Determan fans out by getting involved with winning opportunities—or he simply finds basic ways to advocate for other local businesses.
When one opportunity goes away, Determan pivots to the next. For three years, Lyons Filling Station was a prime sponsor of country music fest Tailgates N’ Tallboys, held in Clinton over a three-day weekend during the summers of 2023 through 2025. The music fest opted not to return to Clinton this summer.
“We took a hit from a revenue standpoint with the pullout,” Pat Determan told CSP. “Lyons Filling Station’s name was prominently displayed at the three-day event, which led to significant incremental business from festgoers.”
To fill the void left by the exodus of Tailgates N’ Tallboys, Determan is a local sponsor for Clinton’s municipality-run Music on the Avenue, which is held every Thursday during the summer. Determan is also plugged into the weekly Wednesday farmer market held in Clinton from June into October.
Filling a hole with trolls
But the real bona fide business-generating coup manifested itself in early June when the city of Clinton secured the rights to an acclaimed international exhibit known as the Thomas Dambo Troll installations, created by internationally renowned Denmark recycle artist Dambo. The exhibit (www.trollmap.com) landed in Clinton due to the city’s rich lumber history, which plays to the Trolls’ wooden configurations.
In a year’s time, the city is expected to draw 200,000 people to the troll installations at three locations: Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Sawmill Museum and downtown Clinton. The exhibit, massive wooden trolls built from recycled materials, each with its own story and personality, is expected to be a permanent fixture for a decade, Determan said. It’s available free of charge and open dawn to dusk.
“The traffic in town this summer has been crazy,” Determan said. “People are coming from multiple states, as far away as California. It’s a pilgrimage—and it’s been a major boost to sales,” he said.
The troll installations combine art, storytelling, sustainability and adventure—and are such a huge draw that people have flocked in large numbers to Clinton to tour the exhibit. And many want branded fuel for the trip home.
Runing a Phillips 66-branded operation for 20 years, Determan said the advantage of carrying Phillips is that, to out-of-towners, it’s well known. “We have a Kwik Star across the street from us, which is not as well known to people from other parts of the U.S., which has given our gas volume a nice boost,” Determan said.
Food, fuel and beverages all have their ebbs and flows in c-stores. Here’s a snapshot of four Lyons Filling Station narratives, which flashes an inside-outside foodservice plan of action:
Weathering the storm at the forecourt: Determan lost some fuel gallons recently due to the volatile nature of gas prices, but he added that “it could have been worse” based on gallon projections made in the spring. Determan said an adjacent Kwik Star unit prices lower than Lyons, but Determan continues to set fuel as if no competition existed.
“I establish my own price strategy and never want to be influenced by competitor fuel decisions,” he said. “Eventually, larger corporate competitors seem to come back up [in price], realizing they can only exist that way for so long.”
Foodservice offers inside-outside synergy: Determan has an exterior property footprint abundant enough to accommodate seasonal grilling. During seasonal months, lunchtime grilling occurs Wednesdays and Fridays from March through October. With a Big Green Egg smoker, Determan grills pork tenderloin and burgers, the latter of which has added cachet: In 2025, Determan took the top local prize at the Clinton Annual Burger Cook Off. Burgers are 6 ounces and served on a homemade bakery bun. The competition includes c-stores, restaurants and more.
Outside his store starting around 11 am. Wednesday and Friday, “People come for our grilled food because they love that home-cooked food and the aroma,” Determan said. Significant beef price increases necessitated a modest per-unit adjustment, which didn’t deter volume. “Cheeseburgers had been $5.50, but we upped that to $6,” he said, adding that pork sandwiches, available on Fridays, were raised from $4.50 to $5.
“We kept it in line, and it’s still viewed as a high value,” he said.
Det’s Diner continues food momentum inside: Lyons Filling Station has interior foodservice year-round via its “Det’s Diner” branded program, Pat Determan’s nickname. In warm months, outside grilling gets much of the glory, but customers eat inside anytime. In colder months, Determan places an emphasis on seasonal favorites such as casseroles and meatloaf—and recently added a lasagna casserole to the menu.
“We prepare casseroles strictly on Thursdays inside later in the year,” he said. “I discontinued broasted chicken in 2024 and sold our fryer and warmer.” Available year-round are selections such as sub sandwiches, tuna salad sandwiches and wraps.
Energy drink/bottled tea push beverage pace: Energy drinks have long been hot in c-store cold vaults. At Lyons Filling Station, the category is only getting hotter. The big three brands, Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar, continue to perform at a high level, with a twist.
One example: “Juice Monster (energy plus juice) has been a very popular option by Monster to bring new spice to energy, and even add incremental sales: People will buy a Juice Monster and a pure Monster energy variety,” he said. “All total, I have 11 cooler doors, with five alone dedicated to energy. Lately, newer brands like Alani Nu and Celsius are bringing more power to the category.”
Determan, like other retailers, saw more opportunities with Alani Nu and Celsius since PepsiCo in 2025 increased its stake in both brands, incorporating them into its massive distribution system. Celsius owns Alani Nu.
Pure Leaf bottled tea is a brand helping re-energize bottles teas after a lull in 2025. “People seem to be back into teas again,” Determan said. “We sell 18.5-ounce bottles of Pure Leaf for $2, with no ‘twofers’ activated.”
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