ELLSWORTH – It was fitting that the Ellsworth Plan Commission voted June 16 to recommend a site plan and certified survey map to the village board for a new Kwik Trip on “Kwik Trip Day.”

Gov. Tony Evers declared June 16, 2025 as “Kwik Trip Day” in Wisconsin to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the iconic Wisconsin-based franchise.

Senior Construction Project Manager for Kwik Trip Emily Helwig was present at the plan commission meeting for questions. She said Kwik Trip is building 30-plus stores this year. According to the plan commission packet, the proposed Ellsworth location (at the corner of Highway 65, West Overlook Drive and Lucas Lane) will include a single bay carwash, a 10-dispenser fueling canopy, a two-lane diesel canopy, picnic area, pylon sign and four driveways. Kwik Trip is proposing to use 4.01 acres of a 5.37-acre site.

Helwig explained that Kwik Trip is headquartered in La Crosse. They use milk from local dairies, have their own kitchens and bakery, make their own ice cream and package everything themselves. Up to 80% of items sold in Kwik Trip are made by Kwik Trip.

“We try to do everything in-house,” Helwig said. “We would love to get into Ellsworth.”

Founded on June 16, 1965, in Eau Claire, Kwik Trip is a family-owned business that has grown to one of the nation’s largest privately owned convenience retail chains, according to Evers’ news release. Kwik Trip employs more than 38,000 workers who serve nearly 12 million guests per week across nearly 900 locations throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states.
Helwig said construction is expected to begin in Spring 2026 with a four-month completion timeline; prior to the opening, local district managers will work to hire people from the community with the hopes of being open 24 hours.

“We will be working to find employees for a 24-hour store, and we will try to, but it might not be 24 hours,” Helwig said. “There’s always that possibility that we might not be able to.”

She explained that since Covid, it’s tougher to find employees willing to work overnight shifts. At minimum, the store would be open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“If we can find the people, we can have it open 24 hours,” Helwig said.

When asked about using local contractors, Helwig said they work with some contractors who only concentrate on building Kwik Trips. They try to use local contractors if they can, but the company must be able to keep up with Kwik Trip’s fast-paced building schedule.

“We try to hire local but we also need to make sure they succeed and have the equipment and manpower,” Helwig said.

The 11,033-square-foot store is proposed to have 46 parking stalls, a green metal roof, and eight underground storage tanks. Helwig estimated the store will provide 25-30 new permanent job, an estimated payroll of $500,000 annually and an investment in the community of $2 million.

Kwik Trip hopes to replace the old Shopko sign with their sign but has to have the approval of that building’s owners due to an easement controlled by the owners of the Shopko property. Kwik Trip has submitted a proposal to them but hasn’t heard back yet.

The plan commission unanimously approved the site plan and certified survey map, which will now move onto the Ellsworth Village Board.