Fresh meals and competitively priced grocery items aren’t what most of us expect when we visit a convenience store. Kwik Star, however, is setting the bar higher with its stores across the Midwest. Owning the entire supply chain from production to point of sale allows this family-owned company to increase efficiency and monitor quality at every level.
Originally founded in 1965 in Wisconsin as Kwik Trip, the chain expanded into the Iowa market in 1993 as the renamed Kwik Star. Snyder & Associates began working with Kwik Star in 2014 to assist the company with the land development of their store locations. Our multidisciplinary service offering was a natural fit with Kwik Star’s efficient business model, simplifying their expansion process by working with a single partner who could streamline the lengthy and complex process of designing, constructing, and opening each new store.
Customized Store Layout Based on Location
At the heart of Kwik Star’s success, each store’s layout is customized to its location and optimized to create a positive customer experience. If warranted, the Snyder & Associates team will complete an ALTA and topographic survey for each new site. If local regulations or the site’s location require a traffic impact study, we can also perform that service and create a design that will best fit each location’s unique needs. We’ll identify necessary additions to existing infrastructure, such as turning lanes and traffic signals to alleviate congestion at access points.
Stormwater Treatment & Containment are High Priorities
Detention basins provide stormwater overflow protection during periods of heavy rain.
Once the plans are complete, our civil engineering team begins work on easements, permitting, utility, and regulatory coordination. Our team of environmental scientists is often tasked with creating plans for stormwater collection, treatment, and distribution. Since oil and grease are a concern with convenience stores that sell fuel, Kwik Star’s storm sewer collection systems are typically outfitted with oil skimmers to remove any pollutants prior to the stormwater leaving the site.
Once stormwater has been cleared of contaminants, it’s routed to detention ponds on sites that have ample space. Sites with less real estate available utilize StormTrap® prefabricated underground storage systems to collect and store stormwater before being released to the local storm sewer network. The expansive paved parking areas common at store locations that cater to semi-truck traffic provide an ideal space to bury these storage systems without sacrificing above-ground areas.
Our survey team’s continued involvement in each project includes construction staking to ensure each component is correctly placed during the building process. They also return to complete a boundary survey when the project concludes. Our team of landscape architects directs the placement of the trees, shrubs, and plants around each site creating a neatly finished store, ready to welcome customers.
A Partnership Poised for Continued Growth
The institutional knowledge that the Snyder & Associates team has developed throughout our relationship with Kwik Star allows us to anticipate their needs and provide high-quality service throughout the various phases of each project. Our teams look forward to maintaining this partnership as Kwik Star continues to expand and evolve throughout the Midwest.
