CHICAGO -- Even if you'd never met W.A. "Bill" Krause, you could very quickly size up the co-founder of Kum & Go LC by simply hearing from the many people whose lives he has affected. The more than 300 attendees of a Monday night dinner at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago celebrating CSP's 2008 Retail Leader of the Year heard stories from Kum & Go employees of opportunities to grow professionally, thanks to Krause's focus on personal development.
"I remember back 25 years ago, Bill had clothiers come in, and we had clothier day," related Randy Meyer, Kum & Go vice president [image-nocss] of fuels and a 31-year employee with the company, during a video honoring Krause. "And they'd come in during lunch or during a meeting, and be there for an hour or two, and talk about how you dress, and what kind of shoes you wear with a suit, what kind of tie you wear with a suit," he said.
"I grew up on a farm, I didn't know how to dress in the business world," he noted. "I wore my suit to Sunday school, but I didn't know how to dress for different business occasions." But opportunities such as this helped Meyer not only learn how to dress smart, but advance through the West Des Moines, Iowa-based company.
Attendees also enjoyed anecdotes of generosity from a high-school student who was the recipient of Krause's charity, which includes both financial support and personal time given to Des Moines' Holy Family Grade School and Dowling Catholic High School. The coach of the University of Iowa's Hawkeyes football team related the financial assistance that Krause, as an alumnus, provides to his program and the school at large. And attendees heard from Krause's children—Kum & Go president and CEO Kyle Krause, senior vice president of marketing Kevin Krause, and daughter Kate Krause Prange—who benefitted from having an entrepreneurial dad.
But perhaps the most compelling evidence came from Dick Wikert, a friend of Krause's for the past 45 years, a business partner and former Kum & Go board member. Wikert described with both affection and wry humor the Kum & Go of the early days as "not even a gas station," consisting mainly of a gravel drive, some old pumps and a small store. But thanks to Krause's business acumen, he was able to grow that one, rag-tag store to more than 430 today.
Wikert cited Krause's frugality as part of the magic formula, recalling how Krause insisted on keeping the original, ancient toilet seat at that first gas station for several years; by then, the seat had lost all of its paint, but was still structurally sound. Of course, this same frugality helped Krause put himself through college at the University of Iowa and keep Kum & Go's finances in order.
Wikert also alluded to Krause's famous knack for numbers and punctuality, noting his ability to remember his very first house payment, and his reliable attendance at Kum & Go's 7 a.m. Monday morning strategic meetings.
The best measure of the man, however, is his dedication to Kum & Go employees and customers, said Wikert. "'I'd rather have one customer 1,000 times than 1,000 customers one time,'" Wikert said, repeating one of Krause's favorite mottos.
When he ascended the stage to accept the award from CSP's president and editorial director, Paul Reuter, Krause was visibly moved but characteristically magnanimous. He first thanked his wife, Nan, children and Kum & Go employees for their contribution to his and Kum & Go's success.
After acknowledging his years in the industry—starting in the days before the convenience-store industry even emerged from its gas-station roots—Krause stressed his belief in appreciating the contributions of your team.
"I don't care how much you know until you know how much to care," he said, repeating not only a personal motto but also the mold in which he has attempted to live his life, whether it be in his relationships with family, friends such as Wikert or Kum & Go employees. Summing up, Krause reminded well-wishers "Don't look back," citing another of his favorite mottos. "We're not going that way."
To hear more from Bill Krause, watch today's CSPTV.
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