Kwik trip smiley face

As an Iowa transplant, I am only one year into navigating the Midwest. Recently I was given a tip on an easter egg at a well-known gas station.

If customers look hard enough, they'll find a tiny Easter egg on each bottle of milk at their local Kwik Trip. It's a small, hard to see smiley face, a reproduction of a drawing that former President and CEO Don Zietlow drew during annual meetings when he announced the company's year-end results, future goals and the amount employees would receive through the company's profit sharing program. It also appears on bottles of tea, juice and other drinks. The smiley face is a nod to Zietlow, who retired in , and to the company's employee-focused culture. But it's also an add-on that's only possible because of a business strategy Zietlow introduced more than two decades ago and continues to underpin the company's rapid growth.

Kwik trip smiley face

I have been shopping at Kwik Trip for nearly 2-decades and I didn't know about the hidden easter egg they have in each of their stores in Minnesota , Wisconsin , and Iowa until yesterday! They're called Kwik Stars in Iowa, but they're the same thing. If you don't know an "easter egg" is a hidden feature usually found in video games or movies that is included as a nod to superfans. Sometimes they are inside jokes, sometimes they are used to tease a sequel, and sometimes they are used to recognize a past storyline. Kwik Trip has over stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa and a very loyal customer base, but I'm willing to bet most of those superfans don't know about what's hiding in each store. I'm at Kwik Trip practically everyday so I'd consider myself a superfan, but I never knew about the "easter egg. Now, If you ever get the chance to take the tour, you should. Kwik Trip's massive campus is super impressive and is home to one of the largest bakeries in the entire world. Kwik Trip makes all of its bread, donuts, cookies, sandwiches, etc. They also bottle their milk and make their own ice cream in La Crosse. Did you know that Kwik Trip was recently recognized as the best gas station in America? Fresh food and great prices are a couple of reasons why people are willing to drive past other convenience stores to find a Kwik Trip. But, I think the main reason people love KT so much is their fantastic customer service and that starts at the top.

The full embrace of vertical integration didn't really come untilsaid John McHugh, Kwik Trip's vice president of external relations. As the chain expanded, it started to open locations outside of Wisconsin.

Even if you've made many trips to a Kwik Trip or Kwik Star as they're known in Iowa due to copyright issues you probably had no idea about this tribute to their owner, Don Zietlow. It's been right under your nose the whole time! Or at least for the past few years. How does a gas station acquire fans? But there's something else, perhaps intangible, that turns customers into fans. Their group members have gotten Kwik Trip tattoos and even gotten married inside a KT. One of the reasons for the fandom is their owner, Don Zietlow.

Even if you've made many trips to a Kwik Trip or Kwik Star as they're known in Iowa due to copyright issues you probably had no idea about this tribute to their owner, Don Zietlow. It's been right under your nose the whole time! Or at least for the past few years. How does a gas station acquire fans? But there's something else, perhaps intangible, that turns customers into fans. Their group members have gotten Kwik Trip tattoos and even gotten married inside a KT. One of the reasons for the fandom is their owner, Don Zietlow.

Kwik trip smiley face

If customers look hard enough, they'll find a tiny Easter egg on each bottle of milk at their local Kwik Trip. It's a small, hard to see smiley face, a reproduction of a drawing that former President and CEO Don Zietlow drew during annual meetings when he announced the company's year-end results, future goals and the amount employees would receive through the company's profit sharing program. It also appears on bottles of tea, juice and other drinks. The smiley face is a nod to Zietlow, who retired in , and to the company's employee-focused culture. But it's also an add-on that's only possible because of a business strategy Zietlow introduced more than two decades ago and continues to underpin the company's rapid growth. Get daily updates on the Packers during the season. Known as vertical integration, it's a do-it-yourself strategy of controlling as much of the production, warehousing, distribution and sales as you can. In Kwik Trip's case, that's grown from a small bakery at the back of an early store to a production and distribution network that extends across six states from Kwik Trip's sprawling La Crosse campus. The La Crosse operation includes a dairy, a bread bakery, a sweets bakery, a commissary that makes all of the chain's hot food items and salads, warehousing and a distribution center, food safety and quality assurance labs, offices, a call center and other backroom functions.

Topeka movie theater showtimes

In Kwik Trip's case, that's grown from a small bakery at the back of an early store to a production and distribution network that extends across six states from Kwik Trip's sprawling La Crosse campus. I have been shopping at Kwik Trip for nearly 2-decades and I didn't know about the hidden easter egg they have in each of their stores in Minnesota , Wisconsin , and Iowa until yesterday! The smiley face is a nod to Zietlow, who retired in , and to the company's employee-focused culture. And that frees people up to do more, a different line of work. Fresh food and great prices are a couple of reasons why people are willing to drive past other convenience stores to find a Kwik Trip. But, I think the main reason people love KT so much is their fantastic customer service and that starts at the top. Don Zietlow founded Kwik Trip many years ago and has always made employee satisfaction one of his top priorities. TSM Rochester. Kwik Trip's La Crosse operations include two bakeries, a dairy, a kitchen that prepares pizza, burritos, take-home meals and salads, warehousing and distribution. Rochester Woman Killed in St. LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don't exist anymore The iconic and at times silly toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. Filed Under: easter egg , Kwik Trip , Wisconsin. Yes, a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic is stepping down from his role to run a "gas station," which proves this is no ordinary gas station. The tiny hidden item is located in the dairy cooler. Don is known for his leadership and for bringing great growth and innovation to the company.

The company welcomes Behind that success is a well-oiled machine, one that's responsible for the daily presence of Glazers and a host of Kwickery sweet treats, Nature's Touch milk and ice cream, the Hot Spot, ready to eat meals, salads and all the other items that help to set Kwik Trip apart from its competitors. Almost 8, people work at Kwik Trip's acre food production campus in La Crosse, producing those items and delivering them six days a week.

He was the reason 40 percent of the company's profits were split between all co-workers. How does a gas station acquire fans? Kwik Trip's La Crosse operations include two bakeries, a dairy, a kitchen that prepares pizza, burritos, take-home meals and salads, warehousing and distribution. His number one priority from the beginning was employee satisfaction. After years, Don Zietlow has retired. In the case of milk, that means 24 hours from the dairy to the store shelf. A couple months ago, we featured Don and the notes he writes for his staff. I have been shopping at Kwik Trip for nearly 2-decades and I didn't know about the hidden easter egg they have in each of their stores in Minnesota , Wisconsin , and Iowa until yesterday! If you don't know an "easter egg" is a hidden feature usually found in video games or movies that is included as a nod to superfans. It also appears on bottles of tea, juice and other drinks. Don Zietlow has made quite a mark on his community and his employees. You've probably never noticed it, but I bet the next time you're at a Kwik Trip you'll look for it.