Kum & Go Takes Home Two Awards
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA -- Kum & Go LC is making space on the wall for two new awards: a marketing award at the LEAD Marketing Conference and an Industry Impact Award from the Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association (ICREA).
The West Des Moines, Iowa-based convenience store chain received a 2012 IBM LEADER Award for Excellence in Analytics for deploying an advanced analytics solution to gain better intelligence and a deep understanding of customer behaviors, preferences and desires. The recognition came at the fourth annual LEAD Marketing Conference held in Rosemont, Ill., Oct. 1-3.
Also receiving awards were United Supermarkets, Coca-Cola Co., Unilever, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Chiquita Brands, GameStop and Lowe's.
"All of these companies have distinguished themselves by successfully leveraging technology to connect with their customers and enhance the shopping experience," said John Karolefski, executive director of the Shopper Technology Institute (STI). He administers the awards program for IBM, the sponsor.
In addition, Niki DePhillips, senior vice president of store development at Kum & Go, received the Industry Impact Award from ICREA. The Industry Impact Award is given out annually by ICREA to non-real estate brokers or salespeople who have impacted the real estate industry. This award exemplifies an individual who enhances the reputation of the industry.
"I'm honored to receive this award," DePhillips said. "And I share it with my store development team who is working extremely hard this year keeping us on track to build a record 41 new stores by year end."
Kum & Go's store development team consists of the real estate and construction departments. As the leader of this team, DePhillips' focus is to oversee all activities related to site selection, government approvals and construction of all new convenience stores.
"Niki has been a valuable asset to Kum & Go. She is a great leader and is highly respected by her team," said Kyle J. Krause, CEO of Kum & Go. "Her passion for the company and focus on excellence is one of the reasons we are on track with our growth plans."
Kum & Go is the fifth largest privately held, company-operated convenience store chain in the United States. The family-owned company has more than 400 convenience stores in 11 states (Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming).