LAS VEGAS --CSP honored Kyle Krause, chairman and CEO of Kum & Go LC, as its 2018 Retail Leader of the Year (RLOY) during a formal dinner this month at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center in Las Vegas.
After a literal lifetime working for the West Des Moines, Iowa-based company started by his father and grandfather, Krause took over the family business in 2004. And while its store count has remained generally static at about 400 sites since then thanks to closings and new builds, the company now has 2.5 times more revenue per store than 10 years ago, makes five times more in earnings and has quintupled foodservice to 20% of inside sales. Company revenue in 2017 hit $2.4 billion.
Exactly 10 years earlier, CSP presented Kyle’s father, Bill Krause, with the same honor during the 2008 NACS Show. “Maybe we’ll be back in 10 years for you,” Kyle told his son Tanner, who was recently named president of the company, “and then again 10 years after that,” he added, referring to the daughter that Tanner and his wife, Hannah, are expecting this fall.
Here’s a video look at Kyle Krause’s career and company growth.
Full Kyle Krause video from Winsight, LLC on Vimeo.
Kum & Go ranked No. 20 in CSP's 2018 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
CSP is a Winsight company. Based in Chicago, Winsight LLC is a recognized leader in business-to-business media and information services for the convenience-retailing, foodservice and grocery industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio, including five publications: CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director, Convenience Store Products and Winsight Grocery Business.
Photograph by W. Scott Mitchell
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