Kum & Go / Krause Group
Established in Hampton, Iowa in 1959, Kum & Go is a fourth-generation, family-owned convenience store chain providing a fresh perspective by meeting customers where they are and offering them the choices they deserve. For over 60 years, the company has been dedicated to sharing 10% of all profits back to the communities it serves. The chain is growing, employing more than 5,000 associates in more than 400 stores in 11 states with expansion into three new states and markets (Salt Lake City, Utah, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Boise, Idaho) planned for 2022-2023. Kum & Go’s people and a purpose-driven business committed to community and inclusivity is what sets Kum & Go apart from their competitors.
Training and Education
As Kum & Go’s formal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work began, their strategy called for work across People, Culture, Brand and Business pillars. Foundational educational efforts began with a partnership between DEI (team lead, Heather Schott) and Learning & Development (L&D) (team lead, Cindy Gerjets) to build and enable skills needed for DEI training to stick.
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In an effort to enhance training and education, the team created a slide used at the beginning of each L&D session for safe and civil dialogue. The information served as a reminder of behavioral expectations for employees and Kum & Go’s commitment as a company to become allies. By setting, sharing and reinforcing these cultural norms, it allows learning to go beyond work into reflection and helps to progress DEI work. The image below ‘People First – Building Trust’ is based on a partnership between Redwing and Schott and was shared at the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Inclusion Summit. Donna Redwing had been setting the example of how to reach across differences to seek understanding.
Contact - Heather Schott & Cindy Gerjets
