don zietlow kwik trip

Don Zietlow to retire as president and CEO of Kwik Trip at the end of 2022

The end of the year will mark the end of an era at Kwik Trip as Don Zietlow retires as president and CEO.

Zietlow has been at Kwik Trip for 52 years, including 22 as president and CEO, leading the company through growth and expansion to more than 800 locations across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan, according to a news release from Kwik Trip. Throughout his leadership, Kwik Trip has grown its support center in La Crosse and invested in the company’s “vertical integration.” Kwik Trip makes Glazer doughnuts, for example, in its own bakery, they’re shipped on Kwik Trip’s trucks and they’re sold in Kwik Trip stores. The company has made major investments and dairy, kitchens, bakeries and distribution center under Zietlow's leadership.

Zietlow has been at Kwik Trip since almost the beginning. The company opened its first location in 1965 in Eau Claire, then its second in La Crosse in 1971. Earlier this year, Zietlow told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin it was a humble beginning − Kwik Trip started out as neighborhood grocery stores whose signs had painted letters cut out of plywood. He said Kwik Trip’s success boiled down to two ingredients: the right people and the ability to have products that guests want and are looking for and being able to offer them at a good deal.

Zietlow also invested in his employees, calling them his coworkers and sharing 40% of the company’s pre-tax profits.

“People are our No. 1 asset,” Zietlow told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in January. “There’s more to a job than pay. You need to feel like you are making a difference. That’s our mission, and that’s what our coworkers do every day.”

Kwik Trip employees have felt that appreciation over the years, as well. For a February story, employees told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin they appreciate the 40% profit share and that Zietlow treated them as coworkers, coming into work in a Kwik Trip uniform every day instead of a suit and tie. They said he was always open with them about the ins and outs of the company.

As news of Zietlow's retirement hit social media this week, members of a Facebook group called Wisconsin Kwik Trip Enthusiast Club shared their appreciation for him and his leadership at the company. Dozens of employees shared how much his kindness and leadership meant to them.

While Zietlow is preparing to retire at the end of the year, the company will remain in the family. Starting Jan. 1, Scott Zietlow will become the new president and CEO as a second-generation owner. Scott is currently the chair of the board of Kwik Trip, and he will be retiring as professor of surgery in the trauma, critical care and general surgery division of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in order to serve in his new role at Kwik Trip.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip,” Scott said. “We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal coworkers, great retail locations and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright.”

As part of the transition, Tom Reinhart will be the new chief operating officer, and Jeff Wrobel will continue as the chief financial officer.

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Business | Mayo Clinic surgeon quitting to lead family’s…

Business | Mayo Clinic surgeon quitting to lead family’s Kwik Trip convenience store empire

Dr. Scott Zietlow, who has worked at Mayo Clinic since the early 1990s, will take on the titles of president and CEO of the La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip at the start of 2023. Dr. Zietlow is also the chair of the Kwik Trip’s board of directors.

He is leaving his position of professor of surgery in Mayo Clinic’s trauma, critical care and general surgery division. Zietlow has served in a variety of leadership positions at Mayo Clinic, including as chairman of the Mayo Clinic Medical Transport Board.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip. We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal co-workers, great retail locations, and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright,” Zietlow stated in the announcement of his appointment.

Don Zeitlow, who is considered a founder of Kwik Trip, has worked at the company for 52 years, 22 years of that as the CEO.

The company’s roots date back to a grocery store business in 1965. The groceries evolved into Kwik Trip in 1971, and it was led by the Hansen and Zietlow families in Eau Claire, Wis. The headquarters moved to La Crosse in 1973, and the Zietlow family became the sole owners in 2000.

The company now operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.

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Kwik Trip CEO and President Retires After 52 Years

Don Zietlow’s 52 years of leadership brought substantial growth to Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip.

November 28, 2022

LA CROSSE, Wisc.—Kwik Trip announced its CEO and president Donald P. Zietlow is retiring, effective December 31, 2022. Zietlow has worked at Kwik Trip for 52 years and served as CEO and president for 22 years.

“Although Don attributes the success of Kwik Trip to the coworkers, his leadership has brought substantial growth and innovation,” said Kwik Trip in a statement.

The company operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan and is considered a leader in the convenience store industry.

Zietlow was the driving force behind sharing 40% of the pre-tax profits with all the coworkers and Kwik Trip’s successful food programs. Under his leadership the company grew its vertically integrated support center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, including major capital investments in the dairy, kitchens, bakeries and distribution center.

On January 1, 2023, Kwik Trip’s chair of the board and second-generation owner Scott Zietlow will become Kwik Trip’s next president and CEO. Scott will be retiring from his role as a professor of surgery in the trauma, critical care and general surgery division of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to assume his new responsibilities at Kwik Trip.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip. We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal coworkers, great retail locations and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright,” said Scott.

As part of the new leadership team, Tom Reinhart has been appointed chief operating officer, and Jeff Wrobel will continue his role as chief financial officer.

Kwik Trip showcases its 800 th store in this 2022 NACS Ideas 2 Go segment. The next gen store, located in Holmes, Wisconsin, features an updated color scheme, new flooring and ample space for customers to shop the store.

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Kwik Trip announces leadership changes; CEO, President of 22 years to retire

Don Zietlow (Courtesy: Kwik Trip)

(ABC 6 News) – Kwik Trip announced on Monday they will undergo some leadership changes effective Jan. 1, 2023 .

Donald P. Zietlow, CEO and President of Kwik Trip for the last 22 years, announced he is retiring effective Dec. 31, 2022 . Zietlow has been with the company for 52 years and was the driving force behind sharing 40% of the pre-tax profits with all the coworkers and Kwik Trip’s successful food programs.

Kwik Trip says under Zietlow’s leadership, the company has grown its vertically integrated support center in La Crosse, including major capital investments in the dairy, kitchens, bakeries, and distribution center.

The company now operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.

Scott Zietlow, the Chair of the Board of Kwik Trip and 2nd-generation owner, will become the company’s next President and CEO. Scott will be retiring from his role as a Professor of Surgery in the Trauma, Critical Care and General Surgery Division in Rochester to assume his new Kwik Trip responsibilities.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip. We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal coworkers, great retail locations, and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright,” said Scott Zietlow.

As part of the new leadership team, Tom Reinhart has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. Jeff Wrobel will continue his role as Chief Financial Officer.

To learn more about Kwik Trip, CLICK HERE .

Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow retiring after 52 years with company

LACROSSE, Wis. (KEYC) - After over 50 years with the company, Don Zietlow announced he is retiring as CEO of Kwik Trip at the end of the year.

During his tenure, Don was the driving force behind sharing 40% of pre-tax profits with all coworkers near the end of each year.

Starting Jan. 1, 2023, current Chair of Kwik Trip’s Board of Director Scott Zietlow will take over the position of CEO.

The convenience store chain operates more than 800 locations all across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.

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Kwik trip ceo and president steps down after 22 years.

Donald P. Zietlow is retiring, effective Dec. 31, 2022

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Kwik Trip CEO and President Donald P. Zietlow is retiring, effective Dec. 31, 2022.

According to a statement from Kwik Trip Inc., on Jan. 1, 2023, the chair of the board of Kwik Trip and second-generation owner, Scott Zietlow, will become Kwik Trip’s next President and CEO. Scott will be retiring from his role as a professor of surgery in the Trauma, Critical Care and General Surgery Division of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to assume his new responsibilities at Kwik Trip.

Kwik Trip operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan and is considered a leader in the convenience store industry.

The company announced that also as part of the new leadership team, Tom Reinhart has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. Jeff Wrobel will continue his role as Chief Financial Officer.

Kwik Trip CEO and president to retire after 52 years with the company

Kwik Trip announced Monday that CEO and President Donald P. Zietlow will retire on Dec. 31.

Zietlow has been with Kwik Trip for 52 years and has served as CEO and president for 22 years.

The company now operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan.

"During his tenure, Don was the driving force behind sharing 40% of the pre-tax profits with all the coworkers and Kwik Trip’s successful food programs. Under his leadership the company has grown its vertically integrated Support Center in La Crosse, including major capital investments in the dairy, kitchens, bakeries, and distribution center," Kwik Trip said in a statement Monday.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the Chair of the Board of Kwik Trip and second-generation owner, Scott Zietlow, will become Kwik Trip's next president and CEO. He will retire from his role as a Professor of Surgery in the Trauma, Critical Care, and General Surgery Division of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Tom Reinhart has also been appointed Chief Operating Office and Jeff Wrobel will continue as Chief Financial Officer.

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Kwik Trip CEO Donald Zietlow to retire

Kwik Trip CEO and President, Donald P. Zietlow

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Kwik Trip CEO and President Donald Zietlow will be retiring at the end of the year after serving more than two decades in the position, the company announced Monday.

Zietlow’s retirement will be effective on Dec. 31. Kwik Trip said that Zietlow has been with Kwik Trip for 52 years, 22 of them as CEO and president.

During Zietlow’s time, Kwik Trip described him as the driving force in sharing 40% of pre-tax profits with all coworkers and the company’s food programs. The company’s integrated Support Center in La Crosse has grown and Kwik Trip said the company has made significant capital investments in several areas.

The company said that leadership will stay in the family. Scott Zietlow will be taking over as the next president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2023. Scott Zietlow is the Chair of the Board of Kwik Trip and a second-generation owner.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip,” Scott Zietlow said. “We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal coworkers, great retail locations, and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright.”

The younger Zietlow will be retiring as professor of surgery in the Trauma, Critical Care and General Surgery Division of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to take on the role.

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Donald P. Zietlow, President and CEO of Kwik Trip, announces retirement after being part of the company for 52 years.

Kwik Trip CEO retires after 22 years

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Nov 21, 2022
Nov 21, 2022 Updated Nov 21, 2022

Donald P. Zietlow, President and CEO of Kwik Trip, announces retirement after 22 years as President and CEO, and 52 with the company.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) - Donald P. Zietlow, President and CEO of Kwik Trip, announces retirement after 22 years as President and CEO, and 52 with the company.

According to a press release from the gas station chain, Zietlow's retirement is effective at the end of the year, December 31, 2022.

The company says Zietlow is responsible for several achievements, including the creation of a profit-sharing benefit that put 40% of pre-tax profits into employee pockets.

On January 1, 2023, Donald Zietlow's son Scott will become the next CEO and President of Kwik Trip.

"I am honored to follow my dad's legacy of guiding Kwik Trip. We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal coworkers, great retail locations, and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright," says Scott Zietlow in the release.

The leadership team also saw one other leadership change with Tom Reinhart being appointed Chief Operating Officer.

Scott Zietlow inherits a company with 800 locations in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

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Kwik trip ceo don zietlow to retire.

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip CEO and President Donald Zietlow will retire from the chain at the end of the year. Zietlow has led the 11th-largest convenience-store chain in the United States for 22 years and worked there for 52 years.

“Although Don attributes the success of Kwik Trip to the coworkers, his leadership has brought substantial growth and innovation,” the company said.

Kwik Trip is No. 11 on CSP’s 2022 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by store count.

The company now operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan and is considered a leader in the c-store industry. During his tenure, Zietlow was the driving force behind sharing 40% of the pre-tax profits with all coworkers and Kwik Trip’s successful food programs.

Zietlow was named CSP’s Retail Leader of the Year in 2012.

Under his leadership, the company has grown its vertically integrated Support Center in La Crosse, Wis., including major capital investments in the dairy, kitchens, bakeries and distribution center.

On Jan. 1, the chair of the board of Kwik Trip and second-generation owner, Scott Zietlow, will become Kwik Trip’s next president and CEO. To assume the new role, Scott Zietlow will retire from his role as a professor of surgery in the Trauma, Critical Care and General Surgery Division of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

As part of the new leadership team, Tom Reinhart has been appointed chief operating officer. Jeff Wrobel will continue his role as chief financial officer.

Kwik Trip , based in La Crosse, Wis., is a family-owned convenience-store chain operating more than 800 locations in Wisconsin and Minnesota under the Kwik Trip banner and in Iowa under the Kwik Star banner.

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Don Zietlow served as president and CEO for 22 years and 52 years total with the company.

Kwik Trip President, CEO Don Zietlow retiring, son to take his place

Zietlow has been with the company for 52 years.

By Sam Shilts
Nov 21, 2022
Nov 21, 2022 Updated Mar 21, 2024
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LA CROSSE (WKBT) — Longtime Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow will retire at the end of the year.

Don Zietlow served as president and CEO for 22 years, 52 years total with the company.

Under his leadership, Kwik Trip says they have seen substantial growth and now operates over 800 locations in the region.

Starting the first of next year, Don’s son Scott Zietlow will retire from his position as a Professor of Surgery in the Trauma, Critical Care and General Surgery Division of Mayo Clinic in Rochester to assume responsibilities at Kwik Trip as the new president and CEO.

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Scott Zietlow
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Kwik Trip CEO steps down after 22 years, son to take over

Kwik Trip has announced its current CEO, Donald Zietlow (left) will retire at the end of the year. His son, Scott Zietlow (right), will take over as CEO in 2023.

Wisconsin-based gas station and convenience store chain Kwik Trip has announced the upcoming departure of its CEO.

According to a release, Donald Zietlow is retiring at the end of the year after 52 years with the company– and 22 years as CEO.

Zietlow’s son, Scott, will step into the role at the start of 2023. Previously, Scott Zietlow was a professor of surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip” Scott Zietlow said.

Kwik Trip has over 800 locations across the Midwest.

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Kwik Trip is still family-owned and still growing

STEVE CAHALAN | La Crosse Tribune
May 4, 2008

The Don Zietlow family plans to continue growing its La Crosse-based Kwik Trip convenience store chain in a big way.

The company will continue to build about 20 stores a year. And with a new commissary to make food items, new ice plant and a new water plant already in place, it plans to build a new ice cream and yogurt plant and expand its bakery in the next few years. Eventually, Kwik Trip also intends to start making its own plastic bottles.

Kwik Trip already has 383 stores, all in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

"I think you have to grow or you die," said Zietlow, the company's president and CEO. "I've taken a lot of risks," he acknowledged in a rare interview in his office at

Kwik Trip's support center in the La Crosse Industrial Park.

"The market is moving; the market always changes," he said.

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"I think the Wal-Marts of the world changed the retail business," Zietlow said. "And they really put a lot of grocery stores out of business. And when that happened, it made a place for us to sell our milk, bread, bananas, oranges and apples, and fill in the gap."

Founded in 1965, the Kwik Trip chain had been jointly owned by the Zietlow and John Hansen families since 1972. The Hansens sold their interest to the Zietlow family in 2000.

Don and LaVonne Zietlow have three children: Steve Zietlow, Scott Zietlow and Vicky Kunz, each of whom are on the company board. They also have 14 grandchildren.

Test Store:

"I thought I'd probably retire by now," said Don Zietlow, 73. "I think the children think there's probably still some rubber on the tires. So as long as they think I'm an asset and can make a contribution, I'll be around."

The next CEO will be chosen by the company board, and probably either will be a Zietlow family member or someone else within the company because of its unique culture, he said.

There's no chance the company will go public with a stock offering, said Steve Zietlow, the company's director of petroleum operations, who also participated in the Tribune interview with his father.

Commissary:

"It will always be family owned," Steve Zietlow said of Kwik Trip, which has annual sales of about $3 billion.

"Being family owned, you have a certain amount of control of your own destiny. We'll do what we feel is necessary for the business. My father is kind of a risk-taker and kind of aggressive" in growing the business, Steve Zietlow said. "That's something you can do with a private company. With a public company, you might not have that leisure."

Being privately owned, Steve Zietlow said, the company can keep programs in place in which it shares 40 percent of its pre-tax profits with employees (the company calls them "co-workers") and allows full-time employees with at least five years of service to become equity owners of the company's real estate property. Those programs are one reason why Kwik Trip's employee turnover rate is by far the lowest in the industry, he said.

Keeping Kwik Trip privately owned is good for its co-workers, Steve Zietlow said.

Though Don Zietlow expects to continue building about 20 stores a year, he doesn't expect to add locations in the La Crosse area, "just replacements and upgrades," he said. For example, the company will replace its Cass Street location with a much larger store, plus a car wash, in 2009.

But the company has new-store opportunities elsewhere in the three-state area and might eventually expand to one more state.

"We could go into northern Illinois," Steve Zietlow said. "The one constraint we have is because we ship every day to every store … how far you can get a truck out?" The company has its own fleet of trucks.

Kwik Trip's employees have played a major role in the company's growth, Don Zietlow said.

"Our people are our greatest asset," he said. "They have to take care of the customer. And we have to take care of our people."

Kwik Trip serves about 4 million customers a week, Don Zietlow said. They will continue to come in "if we give them value and clean stores and clean bathrooms," he said. "We have to be competitive" and treat them in a friendly way.

The company's marketing department several years ago used focus groups to find what customers wanted. The feedback included clean stores with clean bathrooms and a wide variety of hot and cold food.

As a result, Kwik Trip since 2002 has expanded into hot- and cold-prepared food products in a big way, and has increased its selection of bakery items, coffee and other beverages.

By preparing its own dairy and other food products, and warehousing and trucking them to its own stores, the company benefits from vertical integration. Some of the nation's better convenience-store chains also use the vertical integration model, operating their own commissaries and bakeries, Don Zietlow said.

Every Monday, Don Zietlow receives a report detailing complaints customers have filed in the past week. Four complaints - such as no toilet paper in a stall - were received in the previous week, he said. He or Steve Zietlow call the customer who complained, and then send a letter with a gift card.

"We thank them for bringing the problem to our attention," Don Zietlow said. By treating customers that way, he said, "you can take a negative and turn it into a positive."

The company's greatest accomplishment, Don Zietlow said, "probably is making a difference in the lives of our co-workers and making their lives better because of Kwik Trip. And taking care of our customers."

Greatest disappointment? Zietlow said he can't think of one. "If I lived my life over, I wouldn't change a thing. The Lord gave you talents. Use your abilities as best you can."

BY THE NUMBERS

TOTAL EMPLOYEES: Kwik Trip has about 8,070 employees, up 8.2 percent from 7,457 in 2006, in the three-state area of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa that it serves.

LA CROSSE AREA EMPLOYEES: In the La Crosse area, the company has about 1,543 employees, up 10.5 percent from 1,396 in 2006. The La Crosse-area numbers include the company's support center - which in turn includes such facilities as the commissary, bakery, dairy bottling plant, ice cream plant, distribution center and corporate offices - plus store locations in La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem in Wisconsin and La Crescent, Minn. Most of the employment growth has been at the support center.

Steve Cahalan can be reached at (608) 791-8229 or [email protected] .

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Mayo Clinic surgeon takes the wheel as Kwik Trip's new CEO

Dr. scott zietlow, who has worked at mayo clinic since the early 1990s, will take on the titles of president and ceo of the la crosse, wis.-based kwik trip at the start of 2023. he is replacing his father, don zietlow, who is retiring..

ROCHESTER — A longtime Mayo Clinic trauma surgeon and medical professor is taking the reins of his family’s Kwik Trip convenience store empire as his father retires from his role as CEO.

Dr. Scott Zietlow , who has worked at Mayo Clinic since the early 1990s, will take on the titles of president and CEO of the La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip at the start of 2023. Dr. Zietlow is also the chair of the Kwik Trip’s board of directors.

“I am honored to follow my dad’s legacy of guiding Kwik Trip. We are a very strong company and with our 36,000 phenomenal co-workers, great retail locations, and industry-leading vertical integration, our future is bright,” stated Dr. Zietlow in the announcement of his appointment.

Don Zeitlow, who is considered a founder of Kwik Trip, has worked at the company for 52 years, 22 years of that as the CEO.

The company's roots date back to a grocery store business in 1965. The groceries evolved into Kwik Trip in 1971 and it was led by the Hansen and Zietlow families in Eau Claire, Wis. The headquarters moved to La Crosse, Wis. in 1973. The Zietlow family became the sole owners in 2000.

The company now operates more than 800 locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.

Kwik Trip has 15 locations in Rochester. The 15 stores add up to 93,302-square-feet of space under the Kwik Trip signs.

That sum is larger than the 90,000-square-foot Hy-Vee grocery store on West Circle Drive. Hy-Vee built that store on land purchased from Kwik Trip's real estate arm, Northwest Investments .

Northwest Investments is also the force behind the 108-acre development at West Circle Drive and 19th Street Northwest. That development attracted Costco to Rochester and has since seen several hotels, restaurants, stores and banks built around it.

hooks for starting an essay

Kwik Trip President, CEO Don Zietlow retiring, son to take his place

by Sam Shilts

LA CROSSE (WKBT) — Longtime Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow will retire at the end of the year.

Don Zietlow served as president and CEO for 22 years and 52 years total with the company.

Under his leadership, Kwik Trip says they have seen substantial growth and now operates over 800 locations in the region.

Feb 21, 2021
20 min read

The Dyatlov Pass Incident

What is the Dyatlov Pass incident? Well, as we’ll find out, it was when nine Russian hikers died in the northern Ural Mountains between February 1st & 2nd in 1959, under supposed uncertain circumstances. The experienced trekking group, who were all from the Ural Polytechnical Institute , had established a camp on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl , in an area now named in honour of the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov. During the night, something caused them to cut their way out of their tent and attempt to flee the campsite while not being dressed for the heavy ass snowfall and subzero temperatures. Subzero was one of my favorite Mortal Kombat characters… god I loved that game.

After the group's bodies were grusomly discovered, an investigation by Soviet authorities determined that six of them had died from hypothermia while the other three had been killed by physical trauma . One victim actually had major skull damage, two had severe chest trauma, and another had a small crack in the skull . Was all of this caused by an avalanche or from something nefarious? Four of the bodies were found lying in running water in a creek, and three of these had soft tissue damage of the head and face – two of the bodies were missing their eyes, one was missing its tongue, and one was missing its eyebrows. It’s eyebrows! The Soviet investigation concluded that a "compelling natural force" had caused the untimely deaths. Numerous theories have been brought forward to account for the unexplained deaths, including animal attacks, hypothermia, avalanche , katabatic winds , infrasound -induced panic, military involvement, or some combination of these. We’ll discuss all these in further detail later on.

Recently, Russia has opened a new investigation into the Dyatlov incident in 2019, and its conclusions were presented in July 2020: Simply put, they believe that an avalanche had led to the deaths of the hikers. Survivors of the avalanche had been forced to suddenly leave their camp in low visibility conditions with inadequate clothing, and had died of hypothermia. Andrey Kuryakov, deputy head of the regional prosecutor's office, said: "It was a heroic struggle. There was no panic. But they had no chance to save themselves under the circumstances." A study published in 2021 suggested that a type of avalanche known as a slab avalanche could explain some of the injuries. However, we’ll run through everything and you can come to your own conclusion.

Ok, let’s dive into the details of the event.

In 1959, the group was formed for a skiing expedition across the northern Urals in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union. According to Prosecutor Tempalov, documents that were found in the tent of the expedition suggest that the expedition was named for the 21st Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and was possibly dispatched by the local Komsomol organisation.Which was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union , which was sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . Igor Dyatlov, a 23-year-old radio engineering student at the Ural Polytechnical Institute; now Ural Federal University, was the leader who assembled a group of nine others for the trip, most of whom were fellow students and peers at the university.Ok, so they were mostly students. Each member of the group, which consisted of eight men and two women, was an experienced Grade II-hiker with ski tour experience, and would be receiving Grade III certification upon their return. So, this trekk was like a test. I hated tests. Especially ones that could KILL YOU! At the time, this was the highest certification available in the Soviet Union, and required candidates to traverse 190 mi. The route was designed by Igor Dyatlov's group in order to reach the far northern regions of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the upper-streams of the Lozva river. The route was approved by the Sverdlovsk city route commission, which was a division of the Sverdlovsk Committee of Physical Culture and Sport. They approved of and confirmed the group of 10 people on January 8th, 1959. The goal of the expedition was to reach Otorten, a mountain(6.2 mi north of the site where the incident took place. This path, taken in February, was estimated as a Category III, the most difficult time to traverse.

On January 23rd, 1959 the Dyatlov group was issued their route book which listed their course as following the No.5 trail. At that time, the Sverdlovsk City Committee of Physical Culture and Sport listed approval for 11 people. The 11th person was listed as Semyon Zolotaryov who was previously certified to go with another expedition of similar difficulty (that was the Sogrin expedition group). The Dyatlov group left the Sverdlovsk city (today called Yekaterinburg) on the same day they received the route book.

The members of the group were Igor Alekseyevich Dyatlov, Yuri Nikolayevich Doroshenko, Lyudmila Alexandrovna Dubinina, Georgiy (Yuri) Alexeyevich Krivonischenko, Alexander Sergeyevich Kolevatov, Zinaida Alekseevna Kolmogorova, Rustem Vladimirovich Slobodin, Nikolai Vladimirovich Thibeaux-Brignolles, Semyon (Alexander) Alekseevich Zolotaryov, and Yuri Yefimovich Yudin

The group arrived by train at Ivdel , a town at the centre of the northern province of Sverdlovsk Oblast in the early morning hours of January 25, 1959. They took a truck to Vizhai, a little village that is the last inhabited settlement to the north. As of 2010, only 207 really, really fucking cold people lived there. While spending the night in Vizhai, and probably freezing their baguettes off, the skiers purchased and ate loaves of bread to keep their energy levels up for the following day's hike.

On January 27, they began their trek toward Gora Otorten. On January 28, one member, Yuri Yudin, who suffered from several health ailments (including rheumatism and a congenital heart defect ) turned back due to knee and joint pain that made him unable to continue the hike. The remaining nine hikers continued the trek. Ok, my first question with this is, why in the fuck was that guy there, to begin with??

Diaries and cameras found around their last campsite made it possible to track the group's route up to the day before the incident. On January 31st, the group arrived at the edge of a highland area and began to prepare for climbing. In a wooded valley, they rounded up surplus food and equipment that they would use for the trip back. The next day, the hikers started to move through the pass. It seems they planned to get over the pass and make camp for the next night on the opposite side, but because of worsening weather conditions—like snowstorms, decreasing visibility... large piles of yeti shit—they lost their direction and headed west, toward the top of Kholat Syakhl . When they realised their mistake, the group decided to set up camp there on the slope of the mountain, rather than move almost a mile downhill to a forested area that would have offered some shelter from the weather. Yudin, the debilitated goofball that shouldn’t have even been there speculated, "Dyatlov probably did not want to lose the altitude they had gained, or he decided to practice camping on the mountain slope."

Before leaving, Captain Dyatlov had agreed he would send a telegram to their sports club as soon as the group returned to teeny, tiny Vizhai. It was expected that this would happen no later than February 12th, but Dyatlov had told Yudin, before he departed from the group, that he expected it to actually be longer. When the 12th passed and no messages had been received, there was no immediate reaction because, ya know… fuck it. Just kidding, these types of delays were actually common with such expeditions. On February 20th, the travellers' worried relatives demanded a rescue operation and the head of the institute sent the first rescue groups, consisting of volunteer students and teachers. Later, the army and militsiya forces (aka the Soviet police) became involved, with planes and helicopters ordered to join in on the search party.

On February 26th, the searchers found the group's abandoned and super fucked up tent on Kholat Syakhl . The campsite undoubtedly baffled the search party. Mikhail Sharavin, the student who found the tent, said “HOLY SHIT! THIS PLACE IS FUCKED UP!”... No, that’s not true. He actually said, "the tent was half torn down and covered with snow. It was empty, and all the group's belongings and shoes had been left behind." Investigators said the tent had been cut open from inside. Which seems like a serious and quick escape route was needed. Nine sets of footprints, left by people wearing only socks or a single shoe or even barefoot, could actually be followed, leading down to the edge of a nearby wood, on the opposite side of the pass, about a mile to the north-east. After approximately 1,600 ft, these tracks were covered with snow. At the forest's edge, under a large Siberian pine , the searchers found the visible remains of a small fire. There were the first two bodies, those of Krivonischenko and Doroshenko, shoeless and dressed only in their tighty whiteys. The branches on the tree were broken up to five meters high, suggesting that one of the skiers had climbed up to look for something, maybe the camp. Between the pine and the camp, the searchers found three more corpses: Dyatlov, Kolmogorova, and Slobodin, who died in poses suggesting that they were attempting to return to the tent. They were found at distances of 980, 1,570, and 2,070 ft from the tree.

Finding the remaining four travellers took more than two frigging months. They were finally found on May 4th under 13 ft of snow in a ravine 246 ft further into the woods from the pine tree. Three of the four were better dressed than the others, and there were signs that some clothing of those who had died first had been taken off of their corpses for use by the others. Dubinina was wearing Krivonishenko's burned, torn trousers, and her left foot and shin were wrapped in a torn jacket.

Let’s get into the investigation. A legal inquest started immediately after the first five bodies were found. A medical examination found no injuries that might have led to their deaths, and it was concluded that they had all died of hypothermia .Which would make sense because it was colder than a polar bear’s butthole. Slobodin had a small crack in his skull, but it was not thought to be a fatal wound.

An examination of the four bodies found in May shifted the overall narrative of what they initially believed transpired. Three of the hikers had fatal injuries: Thibeaux-Brignolles had major skull damage, and Dubinina and Zolotaryov had major chest fractures. According to Boris Vozrozhdenny, the force required to cause such damage would have been extremely high, comparable to that of a car crash.Also, the bodies had no external wounds associated with the bone fractures, as if they had been subjected to a high level of pressure.

All four bodies found at the bottom of the creek in a running stream of water had soft tissue damage to their head and face. For example, Dubinina was missing her tongue, eyes, part of the lips, as well as facial tissue and a fragment of her skullbone, while Zolotaryov was missing his friggin eyeballs, and Aleksander Kolevatov his eyebrows. V. A. Vozrozhdenny, the forensic expert performing the post-mortem examination , judged that these injuries happened after they had died, due to the location of the bodies in a stream.

At first, there was speculation that the indigenous Mansi people , who were just simple reindeer herders local to the area, had attacked and murdered the group for making fun of Rudolph. Several Mansi were interrogated, but the investigation indicated that the nature of the deaths did not support this hypothesis: only the hikers' footprints were visible, and they showed no sign of hand-to-hand struggle. Oh, I was kidding about the Rudolph thing. They thought they attacked the hikers for being on their land.

Although the temperature was very low, around −13 to −22 °F with a storm blowing, the dead were only partially dressed, as I mentioned.

Journalists reporting on the available parts of the inquest files claim that it states:

Six of the group members died of hypothermia and three of fatal injuries.

There were no indications of other people nearby on Kholat Syakhl apart from the nine travellers.

The tent had been ripped open from within.

The victims had died six to eight hours after their last meal.

Traces from the camp showed that all group members left the campsite of their own accord, on foot.

Some levels of radiation were found on one victim's clothing.

To dispel the theory of an attack by the indigenous Mansi people, Vozrozhdenny stated that the fatal injuries of the three bodies could not have been caused by human beings, "because the force of the blows had been too strong and no soft tissue had been damaged".

Released documents contained no information about the condition of the skiers' internal organs.

And most obviously, There were no survivors.

At the time, the official conclusion was that the group members had died because of a compelling natural force.The inquest officially ceased in May 1959 as a result of the absence of a guilty party. The files were sent to a secret archive.

In 1997, it was revealed that the negatives from Krivonischenko's camera were kept in the private archive of one of the investigators, Lev Ivanov. The film material was donated by Ivanov's daughter to the Dyatlov Foundation. The diaries of the hiking party fell into Russia's public domain in 2009.

On April 12th, 2018, Zolotarev's remains were exhumed on the initiative of journalists of the Russian tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda . Contradictory results were obtained: one of the experts said that the character of the injuries resembled a person knocked down by a car, and the DNA analysis did not reveal any similarity to the DNA of living relatives. In addition, it turned out that Zolotarev's name was not on the list of those buried at the Ivanovskoye cemetery. Nevertheless, the reconstruction of the face from the exhumed skull matched postwar photographs of Zolotarev, although journalists expressed suspicions that another person was hiding under Zolotarev's name after World War II .

In February 2019, Russian authorities reopened the investigation into the incident, yet again, although only three possible explanations were being considered: an avalanche, a slab avalanche , or a hurricane . The possibility of a crime had been discounted.

Other reports brought about a whole bunch of additional speculation.

Twelve-year-old Yury Kuntsevich, who later became the head of the Yekaterinburg-based Dyatlov Foundation, attended five of the hikers' funerals. He recalled that their skin had a "deep brown tan".

Another group of hikers 31 mi south of the incident reported that they saw strange orange spheres in the sky to the north on the night of the incident.Similar spheres were observed in Ivdel and other areas continually during the period from February to March of 1959, by various independent witnesses (including the meteorology service and the military). These sightings were not noted in the 1959 investigation, and the various witnesses came forward years later.

After the initial investigation,

Anatoly Gushchin summarized his research in the book The Price of State Secrets Is Nine Lives. Some researchers criticised the work for its concentration on the speculative theory of a Soviet secret weapon experiment, but its publication led to public discussion, stimulated by interest in the paranormal .It is true that many of those who had remained silent for thirty years reported new facts about the accident. One of them was the former police officer, Lev Ivanov, who led the official inquest in 1959. In 1990, he published an article that included his admission that the investigation team had no rational explanation for the incident. He also stated that, after his team reported that they had seen flying spheres, he then received direct orders from high-ranking regional officials to dismiss this claim.

In 2000, a regional television company produced the documentary film The Mystery of Dyatlov Pass . With the help of the film crew, a Yekaterinburg writer, Anna Matveyeva, published a docudrama of the same name. A large part of the book includes broad quotations from the official case, diaries of victims, interviews with searchers and other documentaries collected by the film-makers. The narrative line of the book details the everyday life and thoughts of a modern woman (an alter ego of the author herself, which is super weird) who attempts to resolve the case. Despite its fictional narrative, Matveyeva's book remains the largest source of documentary materials ever made available to the public regarding the incident. Also, the pages of the case files and other documentaries (in photocopies and transcripts) are gradually being published on a web forum for nerds just like you and i!.

The Dyatlov Foundation was founded in 1999 at Yekaterinburg, with the help of Ural State Technical University, led by Yuri Kuntsevitch. The foundation's stated aim is to continue investigation of the case and to maintain the Dyatlov Museum to preserve the memory of the dead hikers. On July 1st 2016, a memorial plaque was inaugurated in Solikamsk in Ural's Perm Region, dedicated to Yuri Yudin (the dude who pussed out and is the sole survivor of the expedition group), who died in 2013.

Now, let’s go over some of the theories of what actually took place at the pass.

On July 11 2020, Andrey Kuryakov, deputy head of the Urals Federal District directorate of the Prosecutor-General 's Office, announced an avalanche to be the "official cause of death" for the Dyatlov group in 1959. Later independent computer simulation and analysis by Swiss researchers also suggest avalanche as the cause.

Reviewing the sensationalist " Yeti " hypothesis , American skeptic author Benjamin Radford suggests an avalanche as more plausible:

“that the group woke up in a panic (...) and cut their way out the tent either because an avalanche had covered the entrance to their tent or because they were scared that an avalanche was imminent (...) (better to have a potentially repairable slit in a tent than risk being buried alive in it under tons of snow). They were poorly clothed because they had been sleeping, and ran to the safety of the nearby woods where trees would help slow oncoming snow. In the darkness of night, they got separated into two or three groups; one group made a fire (hence the burned hands) while the others tried to return to the tent to recover their clothing since the danger had passed. But it was too cold, and they all froze to death before they could locate their tent in the darkness. At some point, some of the clothes may have been recovered or swapped from the dead, but at any rate, the group of four whose bodies was most severely damaged were caught in an avalanche and buried under 4 meters (13 ft) of snow (more than enough to account for the 'compelling natural force' the medical examiner described). Dubinina's tongue was likely removed by scavengers and ordinary predation.”

Evidence contradicting the avalanche theory includes:

The location of the incident did not have any obvious signs of an avalanche having taken place. An avalanche would have left certain patterns and debris distributed over a wide area. The bodies found within a month of the event were covered with a very shallow layer of snow and, had there been an avalanche of sufficient strength to sweep away the second party, these bodies would have been swept away as well; this would have caused more serious and different injuries in the process and would have damaged the tree line.

Over 100 expeditions to the region had been held since the incident, and none of them ever reported conditions that might create an avalanche. A study of the area using up-to-date terrain-related physics revealed that the location was entirely unlikely for such an avalanche to have occurred. The "dangerous conditions" found in another nearby area (which had significantly steeper slopes and cornices) were observed in April and May when the snowfalls of winter were melting. During February, when the incident occurred, there were no such conditions.

An analysis of the terrain and the slope showed that even if there could have been a very specific avalanche that found its way into the area, its path would have gone past the tent. The tent had collapsed from the side but not in a horizontal direction.

Dyatlov was an experienced skier and the much older Zolotaryov was studying for his Masters Certificate in ski instruction and mountain hiking. Neither of these two men would have been likely to camp anywhere in the path of a potential avalanche.

Footprint patterns leading away from the tent were inconsistent with someone, let alone a group of nine people, running in panic from either real or imagined danger. All the footprints leading away from the tent and towards the woods were consistent with individuals who were walking at a normal pace.

Repeated 2015 investigation [ edit ]

A review of the 1959 investigation's evidence completed in 2015–2019 by experienced investigators from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) on request of the families confirmed the avalanche with several important details added. First of all, the ICRF investigators (one of them an experienced alpinist ) confirmed that the weather on the night of the tragedy was very harsh, with wind speeds up to hurricane force,(45–67 mph, a snowstorm and temperatures reaching −40 °C. These factors weren't considered by the 1959 investigators who arrived at the scene of the accident three weeks later when the weather had much improved and any remains of the snow slide had settled and been covered with fresh snowfall. The harsh weather at the same time played a critical role in the events of the tragic night, which have been reconstructed as follows:

On 1 February the group arrives at the Kholat Syakhl mountain and erects a large, 9-person tent on an open slope, without any natural barriers such as forests. On the day and a few preceding days, a heavy snowfall continued, with strong wind and frost.

The group traversing the slope and digging a tent site into the snow weakens the snow base. During the night the snowfield above the tent starts to slide down slowly under the weight of the new snow, gradually pushing on the tent fabric, starting from the entrance. The group wakes up and starts evacuation in panic, with only some able to put on warm clothes. With the entrance blocked, the group escapes through a hole cut in the tent fabric and descends the slope to find a place perceived as safe from the avalanche only 1500 m down, at the forest border.

Because some of the members have only incomplete clothing, the group splits. Two of the group, only in their underwear and pajamas, were found at the Siberian pine tree, near a fire pit. Their bodies were found first and confirmed to have died from hypothermia.

Three hikers, including Dyatlov, attempted to climb back to the tent, possibly to get sleeping bags. They had better clothes than those at the fire pit, but still quite light and with inadequate footwear. Their bodies were found at various distances 300–600 m from the campfire, in poses suggesting that they had fallen exhausted while trying to climb in deep snow in extremely cold weather.

The remaining four, equipped with warm clothing and footwear, were trying to find or build a better camping place in the forest further down the slope. Their bodies were found 70 m from the fireplace, under several meters of snow and with traumas indicating that they had fallen into a snow hole formed above a stream. These bodies were found only after two months.

According to the ICRF investigators, the factors contributing to the tragedy were extremely bad weather and lack of experience of the group leader in such conditions, which led to the selection of a dangerous camping place. After the snow slide, another mistake of the group was to split up, rather than building a temporary camp down in the forest and trying to survive through the night. Negligence of the 1959 investigators contributed to their report creating more questions than answers and inspiring numerous conspiracy theories.

In 2021 a team of physicists and engineers led by Alexander Puzrin published a new model that demonstrated how even a relatively small slide of snow slab on the Kholat Syakhl slope could cause tent damage and injuries consistent with those suffered by Dyatlov team.

Ok, what about the Katabatic wind that I mentioned earlier?

In 2019, a Swedish-Russian expedition was made to the site, and after investigations, they proposed that a violent katabatic wind was a plausible explanation for the incident. Katabatic winds are a drainage wind, a wind that carries high-density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. They are somewhat rare events and can be extremely violent. They were implicated in a 1978 case at Anaris Mountain in Sweden, where eight hikers were killed and one was severely injured in the aftermath of katabatic wind. The topography of these locations were noted to be very similar according to the expedition.

A sudden katabatic wind would have made it impossible to remain in the tent, and the most rational course of action would have been for the hikers to cover the tent with snow and seek shelter behind the treeline. On top of the tent, there was also a torch left turned on, possibly left there intentionally so that the hikers could find their way back to the tent once the winds subsided. The expedition proposed that the group of hikers constructed two bivouac shelters , or just makeshift shelters, one of which collapsed, leaving four of the hikers buried with the severe injuries observed.

Another hypothesis popularised by Donnie Eichar 's 2013 book Dead Mountain is that wind going around Kholat Syakal created a Kármán vortex street , a repeating pattern of swirling vortices , caused by a process known as vortex shedding , which is responsible for the unsteady separation of flow of a fluid around blunt bodies. which can produce infrasound capable of inducing panic attacks in humans. According to Eichar's theory, the infrasound generated by the wind as it passed over the top of the Holatchahl mountain was responsible for causing physical discomfort and mental distress in the hikers. Eichar claims that, because of their panic, the hikers were driven to leave the tent by whatever means necessary, and fled down the slope. By the time they were further down the hill, they would have been out of the infrasound's path and would have regained their composure, but in the darkness would have been unable to return to their shelter. The traumatic injuries suffered by three of the victims were the result of their stumbling over the edge of a ravine in the darkness and landing on the rocks at the bottom. Hmmm...plausible.

Military tests

In another theory, the campsite fell within the path of a Soviet parachute mine exercise. This theory alleges that the hikers, woken up by loud explosions, fled the tent in a shoeless panic and found themselves unable to return for their shit. After some members froze to death attempting to endure the bombardment, others commandeered their clothing only to be fatally injured by subsequent parachute mine concussions. There are in fact records of parachute mines being tested by the Soviet military in the area around the time the hikers were out there, fuckin’ around. Parachute mines detonate while still in the air rather than upon striking the Earth's surface and produce signature injuries similar to those experienced by the hikers: heavy internal damage with relatively little external trauma. The theory coincides with reported sightings of glowing, orange orbs floating or falling in the sky within the general vicinity of the hikers and allegedly photographed by them, potentially military aircraft or descending parachute mines. (remember the camera they found? HUH? Yeah?)

This theory (among others) uses scavenging animals to explain Dubinina's injuries. Some speculate that the bodies were unnaturally manipulated, on the basis of characteristic livor mortis markings discovered during an autopsy, as well as burns to hair and skin. Photographs of the tent allegedly show that it was erected incorrectly, something the experienced hikers were unlikely to have done.

A similar theory alleges the testing of radiological weapons and is based partly on the discovery of radioactivity on some of the clothing as well as the descriptions of the bodies by relatives as having orange skin and grey hair. However, radioactive dispersal would have affected all, not just some, of the hikers and equipment, and the skin and hair discoloration can be explained by a natural process of mummification after three months of exposure to the cold and wind. The initial suppression by Soviet authorities of files describing the group's disappearance is sometimes mentioned as evidence of a cover-up, but the concealment of information about domestic incidents was standard procedure in the USSR and thus nothing strange.. And by the late 1980s, all Dyatlov files had been released in some manner.

Let’s talk about Paradoxical undressing

International Science Times proposed that the hikers' deaths were caused by hypothermia, which can induce a behavior known as paradoxical undressing in which hypothermic subjects remove their clothes in response to perceived feelings of burning warmth. It is undisputed that six of the nine hikers died of hypothermia. However, others in the group appear to have acquired additional clothing (from those who had already died), which suggests that they were of a sound enough mind to try to add layers.

Keith McCloskey, who has researched the incident for many years and has appeared in several TV documentaries on the subject, traveled to the Dyatlov Pass in 2015 with Yury Kuntsevich of the Dyatlov Foundation and a group. At the Dyatlov Pass he noted:

There were wide discrepancies in distances quoted between the two possible locations of the snow shelter where Dubinina, Kolevatov, Zolotarev, and Thibault-Brignolles were found. One location was approximately 80 to 100 meters from the pine tree where the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko were found and the other suggested location was so close to the tree that anyone in the snow shelter could have spoken to those at the tree without raising their voices to be heard. This second location also has a rock in the stream where Dubinina's body was found and is the more likely location of the two. However, the second suggested location of the two has a topography that is closer to the photos taken at the time of the search in 1959.

The location of the tent near the ridge was found to be too close to the spur of the ridge for any significant build-up of snow to cause an avalanche. Furthermore, the prevailing wind blowing over the ridge had the effect of blowing snow away from the edge of the ridge on the side where the tent was. This further reduced any build-up of snow to cause an avalanche. This aspect of the lack of snow on the top and near the top of the ridge was pointed out by Sergey Sogrin in 2010.

McCloskey also noted:

Lev Ivanov's boss, Evgeny Okishev (Deputy Head of the Investigative Department of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Prosecution Office), was still alive in 2015 and had given an interview to former Kemerovo prosecutor Leonid Proshkin in which Okishev stated that he was arranging another trip to the Pass to fully investigate the strange deaths of the last four bodies when Deputy Prosecutor General Urakov arrived from Moscow and ordered the case shut down.

Evgeny Okishev also stated in his interview with Leonid Proshkin that Klinov, head of the Sverdlovsk Prosecutor's Office, was present at the first post mortems in the morgue and spent three days there, something Okishev regarded as highly unusual and the only time, in his experience, it had happened.

Donnie Eichar , who investigated and made a documentary about the incident, evaluated several other theories that are deemed unlikely or have been discredited:

They were attacked by Mansi or other local tribesmen. The local tribesmen were known to be peaceful and there was no track evidence of anyone approaching the tent.

They were attacked and chased by animal wildlife. There were no animal tracks and the group would not have abandoned the relative security of the tent.

High winds blew one member away, and the others attempted to rescue the person. A large experienced group would not have behaved like that, and winds strong enough to blow away people with such force would have also blown away the tent.

An argument, possibly related to a romantic encounter that left some of them only partially clothed, led to a violent dispute. About this, Eichar states that it is "highly implausible. By all indications, the group was largely harmonious, and sexual tension was confined to platonic flirtation and crushes. There were no drugs present and the only alcohol was a small flask of medicinal alcohol, found intact at the scene. The group had even sworn off cigarettes for the expedition." Furthermore, a fight could not have left the massive injuries that one body had suffered.

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7/13/2015. LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip Inc. is marking 50 years and preparing to bring the company to the century mark, guided by the next generation. President and CEO Don Zietlow said Kwik ...
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Mayo Clinic surgeon quitting to lead Kwik Trip empire
Don Zeitlow, who is considered a founder of Kwik Trip, has worked at the company for 52 years, 22 years of that as the CEO. The company's roots date back to a grocery store business in 1965.
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LA CROSSE, Wisc.—Kwik Trip announced its CEO and president Donald P. Zietlow is retiring, effective December 31, 2022. Zietlow has worked at Kwik Trip for 52 years and served as CEO and president for 22 years. "Although Don attributes the success of Kwik Trip to the coworkers, his leadership has brought substantial growth and innovation ...
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(ABC 6 News) - Kwik Trip announced on Monday they will undergo some leadership changes effective Jan. 1, 2023. Donald P. Zietlow, CEO and President of Kwik Trip for the last 22 years, announced ...
Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow retiring after 52 years with company
LACROSSE, Wis. (KEYC) - After over 50 years with the company, Don Zietlow announced he is retiring as CEO of Kwik Trip at the end of the year. During his tenure, Don was the driving force behind ...
Kwik Trip CEO and President Donald P. Zietlow is retiring
MILWAUKEE — Kwik Trip CEO and President Donald P. Zietlow is retiring, effective Dec. 31, 2022. According to a statement from Kwik Trip Inc., on Jan. 1, 2023, the chair of the board of Kwik Trip ...
Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow to Retire
LA CROSSE, Wis. — After 52 years, Kwik Trip Inc. President and CEO Don Zietlow is retiring, effective Dec. 31. He has spent 22 years in his current role. Kwik Trip's chair of the board and ...
Kwik Trip CEO and president to retire after 52 years with the company
Zietlow has been with Kwik Trip for 52 years and has served as CEO and president for 22 years. ... Don was the driving force behind sharing 40% of the pre-tax profits with all the coworkers and ...
Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow to retire at end of year
The La Crosse-based business announced president and chief executive officer Donald Zietlow's retirement in a news release this week. Zietlow has been with Kwik Trip for 52 years, including 22 ...
Kwik Trip CEO Donald Zietlow to retire
Zietlow's retirement ...
Kwik Trip CEO retires after 22 years
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) - Donald P. Zietlow, President and CEO of Kwik Trip, announces retirement after 22 years as President and CEO, and 52 with the company. According to a press release from the ...
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On January 1, 2023, Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow retired to take care of his wife. Don Zietlow's son, former Mayo Clinic trauma surgeon, Scott Zietlow, succeeded him as President and CEO. On September 21, 2023, Kwik Trip opened their first Kwik Star location in South Dakota in Brandon , with five more openings expected before the end of 2023 ...
Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow to Retire
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip CEO and President Donald Zietlow will retire from the chain at the end of the year. Zietlow has led the 11th-largest convenience-store chain in the United States for 22 years and worked there for 52 years. "Although Don attributes the success of Kwik Trip to the coworkers, his leadership has brought substantial ...
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Don Zietlow served as president and CEO for 22 years, 52 years total with the company. Under his leadership, Kwik Trip says they have seen substantial growth and now operates over 800 locations in ...
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Wisconsin-based gas station and convenience store chain Kwik Trip has announced the upcoming departure of its CEO. According to a release, Donald Zietlow is retiring at the end of the year after ...
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Kwik Trip President, CEO Don Zietlow retiring, son to take his place
La Crosse, Wisconsin. LA CROSSE (WKBT) — Longtime Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow will retire at the end of the year. Don Zietlow served as president and CEO for 22 years and 52 years total with the company. Under his leadership, Kwik Trip says they have seen substantial growth and now operates over 800 locations in the region.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Diaries and cameras found around their last campsite made it possible to track the group's route up to the day before the incident. On January 31st, the group arrived at the edge of a highland area and began to prepare for climbing. In a wooded valley, they rounded up surplus food and equipment that they would use for the trip back.
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