Kwik Trip, one of the largest convenience store chains in the upper Midwest, hosted the grand opening of its retail alternative fueling station, and Natural Gas Summit, on Thursday, May 10 in La Crosse, Wis.
Kwip Trip, headquartered in La Crosse, unveiled its first-ever retail alternative fueling station, featuring natural gas fueling for light, medium and heavy duty trucks. Other fueling options available at the station include gasoline, diesel, bio-diesel, off-road diesel, ethanol and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
Along with the fueling station grand opening, Kwik Trip held it's first-ever educational natural gas trade show and summit, featuring OE displays of almost 50 natural gas vehicles on site. The summit also featured an educational session with Stephe Yborra, Director of Market Analysis, Education & Communications for NGV America, to educate fleets and other attendees about the uses and benefits of natural gas.
As a privately held company, Kwik Trip has made plans to expand its fuel offerings beyond traditional fuels without partnering with large energy companies. By bringing natural gas to the market on its own, Kwik Trip has positioned itself to provide a better, more affordable solution to its customers, according to the company.
Kwik Trip plans to expand availability through its current network of stores, as well as building new locations which will allow Kwik Trip to provide the best and most functional natural gas vehicle (NGV) fueling infrastructure possible.
In addition to the grand opening of this La Crosse location, along with another La Crosse-based fleet fueling station opened in April 2012, the company plans to open three more natural gas fueling stations throughout the Midwest for 2012, including Sturtevant, Wis. later this month, as well as stations in Rochester, Minn. and Oshkosh, Wis. in Fall 2012.
Kwik Trip's own distribution fleet, Convenience Transportation, travels 18 million miles on an annual basis. Currently, Kwik Trip owns and operates 20 NGVs, to include everything from light duty vehicles to class 8 trucks. Through Kwik Trip's own fleet, the company plans to continue to test, promote and educate consumers about the benefits of natural gas as a vehicle fuel.
