Kwik Star Assistant Leader Tyler Jones, alongside Mayor Sokol, cut the ribbon to celebrate officially opening their new location in Toledo. Photo by Vanessa Roudabush.

On Sept. 1, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the new Kwik Star location on the Lincoln Highway in Toledo.

The Kwik Star team worked tirelessly, moving everything to the new store in less than twelve hours for the community. Assistant lead Tyler Jones noted the necessity during an interview.

“We’re excited for the new store here in Toledo. I’m so excited for this store. We needed it bad,” he said.

The new location is triple the size of the original, allowing for a more diverse lineup of products and the expansion of the self-serve food and beverage area. Alongside unleaded fuels, this location is also offering diesel fuel, a 24-hour car wash, and truck-friendly parking.

Don Zietlow, Kwik Star’s co-founder and current owner, attended the official grand opening, sharing his enthusiasm for the expansion of the Kwik Star location in Toledo.

Members of the Toledo American Legion accepted a donation for the Iowan Veterans Association of $1,000 from Kwik Trip. The Honor Guard will be using these funds to help with outreach and education programs at local schools. Photo by Vanessa Roudabush.

“Anytime we can improve our stores and make it easier for our coworkers to take care of our customers is the best thing in the world,” he said. “We have to earn the business. We got to give values.”

Zietlow values his Kwik Star employees, offering them 40 percent of the yearly gross profits. He prides himself on taking care of his employees no matter what position they hold in the company.

“I always tell our [Kwik Star] family we only have to take care of two people. The family has to take care of our coworkers, and our coworkers have to take care of our guests,” he said. “If we do those two things well, we’ll be very successful.”

Toledo Mayor Brian Sokol was also in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He noted the long road it took to open the new store.

“A lot of times, we focus too much on bringing new business into a community. It’s been a long process between the City and Kwik Star between meetings, getting everything approved, zoning, and ordinances,” Sokol said.

hief Dan Quigley accepted the $1,000 Kwik Star donation check for the Toledo Police Department. He announced this funding will go towards breaching equipment or forcible entry equipment the department currently doesn’t own. Photo by Vanessa Roudabush.

Sokol then remarked on the significance of the new Kwik Star location to the community.

“I think it’s going to be a positive impact for everyone. I can’t see anything negative about it,” he said. “We’ve got 40 good jobs. We got Karen [Swinson], long-term store leader, [who] does a great job. Everyone knows her in the community.”

The store will be open 24 hours a day.