Latest news with #Kum&Go
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Southwest Missouri Regional Fire Academy to honor new graduates
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Firefighter recruits of the Southwest Missouri Regional Fire Academy will be graduating on Thursday, May 22. The Springfield Fire Department has announced the regional fire academy will be celebrating their latest recruits at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Park Crest Baptist Church in Springfield. The department says that 21 recruits will graduate during the event. Kum & Go sued for damages in Springfield shooting The recruits had to complete a several monthlong training program at the Springfield Fire Department's Fire Academy, which is part of a collaborative extension of the Department of Labor-registered Pre-apprenticeship Program. Recruits also had to finish an emergency medical technician (EMT) training through a partnership with CoxHealth. Several of the upcoming gradates have already been offered full-time positions with numerous fire departments in the Springfield area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Beloved convenience store brand slowly nears its end
While convenience stores seem very much like a form of retail designed for a singular purpose - quickness - there's been a bit of a surprising fan base presence built up around some of them over the years. Take 7-Eleven, for instance, known in America to many frozen drink enthusiasts as the home of the Slurpee. Starting in 2002, the chain decided to declare its birthday a holiday, forever deeming July 11 Free Slurpee Day. It might have been this move that endeared so many Americans to the chain, as now the term trends on social media every year as folks flock to get their free Slurpees. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Say 7-Eleven in Japan or Thailand, however, and you're likely to see a whole new level of customer loyalty. In Thailand the stores are known for their consistency and high degree of customer service. In Japan, the same goes, but the quality of its convenience-store food - think rice balls, fluffy egg salad sandwiches, and TikTok famous famichiki (a portable take on fried chicken) - have earned it a loyal and passionate audience. Related: Forget bankruptcy: Famous convenience store chain disappearing Naturally, folks take pride in certain things local to them, such as the Californian love for In N' Out Burger. In the midwest, there's a chain that has summoned up a lot of loyalty from those who seek out more than just junk-food options. But unfortunately, the quirky brand is about to be erased. Originally founded in 1959, the Kum & Go convenience store chain has often earned its share of laughs for a name that's a little too close to a sexual euphemism. That said, Kum & Go was born in Iowa, where many of its locations first popped up, so it's safe to say it's a bit of a local thing. But that blew up beyond Iowa's borders in 2006, when then-superstar Johnny Knoxville of "Jackass" fame wore a black Kum & Go T-shirt in the film "Jackass Number Two." It wasn't just Knoxville's star power that got people to love Kum & Go, though. In addition to the stuff you'd expect to see at any convenience store, Kum & Go also had some unusual items coming from its kitchen. We're talking grain bowls, burritos, pulled pork falafel, even nice sauces. Healthier snacks also abounded, but if you wanted the usual junk-food fare, it was there, too. With close to 400 stores across the U.S., it's easy to see how people could have developed a soft spot for this little-known shop. But thanks to a new acquisition, Kum & Go will unfortunately undergo a big change. Image source: Chet Strange/Bloomberg via Getty Images In August of 2023, Maverick and parent company FJ Management announced that it would acquire Kum & Go from its original owner Krause Group, as well as Solar Transport, a fuel transportation fleet. When the acquisition was originally announced, Maverick said that it intended to retain the Kum & Go branding. That was the case until 2025, when Maverick announced it would put all 400 Kum & Go locations under its own branding. Several sources which declined to be named told CSP Daily News that the reason was that after deeper consideration, Maverik made the decision that its brand resonated more in its markets than Kum & Go did in the midwest. However, there was also concern about the very thing that so many fans loved about the original name, which one source called an "inadvertent double entendre." Maverick has not made any comment on what it plans to change on the inside of the stores or if the same items people love will still be served. However, some long time fans of the original brand say on Reddit that the changes are not good. "...My little town is right on a major highway, and the Kum and Go was our only 24/7 business," user Malcolm_Y wrote. "Since Maverik took over and rebranded, they are plagued by empty shelves, less hot food options, periodic lack of bags for purchased items, and today a total lack of fuel. This is a location that always has customers and is especially busy on weekends. I no longer have the option of a physical rewards card, and the rewards are noticeably less than I got from Kum and Go." "They also took out most of the healthy options they had," Top_Cellist9501 chimed in. While it's understandable that fans of the chain might be disappointed, one thing is safe to say: if you happen to own Kum & Go merchandise such as a T-shirt or a hat, it could become a collector's item, so hang onto it. Related: Convenience store program gets upgrade members will love The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maverik opens first c-store in Michigan
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. Maverik opened its first convenience store in Michigan last week, according to a company LinkedIn announcement. The c-store is located in the city of Wyoming, about 7 miles south of downtown Grand Rapids. Michigan marks Maverik's 22nd state of operation, coming on the heels of the retailer debuting in Kansas last month. Maverik is also in the process of rebranding existing Kum & Go c-stores in Michigan to its own banner — including one in that same city. Maverik publicly revealed plans earlier this year to rebrand Kum & Go's seven stores in Michigan. The Great Lakes State was one of the Iowa retailer's smallest markets, as it only debuted there in January 2023. Maverik said in February that every rebrand in the state would be done by this summer. As those plans take shape, Maverik is also extending its reach in Michigan beyond Kum & Go's former locations. The new store — located on 54th Street in Wyoming — is not listed as one of Kum & Go's former sites on the retailer's website, and according to Kent County Records, was owned by local baked goods chain Arnie's as of 2024. A store-level employee currently working at the new Maverik confirmed to C-Store Dive that the retailer took over directly from Arnie's. A Maverik spokesperson did not respond by press time when asked to comment on the new location. Maverik is also set to rebrand a Kum & Go in Wyoming. That store is located on Division Street, about half a mile from Maverik's newly built store, according to Kum & Go's website. As of last month, Maverik had completed over 180 Kum & Go rebrands across Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. The Salt Lake City-based retailer has over 800 convenience stores in its network. Recommended Reading Inside Maverik's decision to cut Kum & Go's foodservice program Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Missouri man blames Crocs for crashing truck into Kum & Go
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, man has been issued a summons to appear in court next month after driving his truck into a local gas station and convenience store earlier this year. According to the Springfield Police Department's probable cause statement, the crash happened shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Kum & Go in the 2100 block of South Campbell Avenue. Police said security video shows Dale W. Hamit, 60, driving his 2012 Dodge Ram into the front of the gas station and breaking two large windows in the process. Hamit backed his truck up and left the store without speaking with gas station employees, police said. He then return to the store twice over the next hour and spoke with an employee, but never admitted to being the driver. Hamit even watched the security video of the crash with the employee. When an officer arrived at the gas station, Hamit denied being the driver and said his truck wasn't the one involved in the crash. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Police said the officer reviewed footage from the crash and the other two times Hamit came to the gas station and confirmed it was the same truck and that it was Hamit who got out of the vehicle. The officer went to Hamit's nearby home. When confronted with the evidence, police said Hamit admitted to being the driver. Hamit said he was driving in his Crocs and that they got caught in the gas pedal, causing him to accelerate and crash into the gas station. Hamit told police he 'freaked out' and left the scene of the crash. Police said it cost the gas station owners $3,720 to remove and replace the broken windows, according to damage estimates. The Greene County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Hamit with leaving the scene of an accident – property damage exceeding $1,000. Hamit will make his first appearance in court on Wednesday, May 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
02-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Lottery player checking ticket rubs his eyes in disbelief. ‘Never seen that'
An Arkansas lottery player sat in his car with a lottery ticket in hand, a practice he carried out many days of the week. The Craighead County man scratched off the first row of the Jewel 7s ticket and was instantly met with a $100,000 prize, Arkansas lottery officials said in an April 1 news release. 'I started rubbing my eyes to make sure I was looking at it correctly,' the winner told officials. As he grappled with the number on his $5 ticket, the man ran back into the Kum & Go gas station to verify his prize. The scanner told him to claim his prize at the state lottery's claim center. He then excitedly showed his big win to the convenience store clerk. 'Wow, we've never seen that!' the clerk said, according to lottery officials. She told him to make the trip to Little Rock to claim his prize. So far, the winner has kept his win quiet around those who know him. He is, however, celebrating the $100,000 as his biggest win yet. 'I'd won and come to the Claim Center before, but it was nothing like this,' he said, per the release. He plans to use his prize to pay his bills and 'share the good news' with a few close family and friends, according to the release. Craighead County is about a 130-mile drive northeast from Little Rock.
