TOP STORY: It's offical -- Hy-Vee is coming to Decorah

Winneshiek County Development, Inc. (WCDI) is announcing that Hy-Vee has confirmed its plans to open a grocery store in Decorah's Centrum Plaza in the former Quillin's location.  The 25,000 square-foot store will have a large grocery product offering. Renovations of the existing structure will begin this fall.

The store is forecast to add up to 70 new jobs to the local economy. In addition to the products and services their stores provide, Hy-Vee has a long history of working as partners with the local communities where their stores are located. "Hy-Vee is an outstanding organization and we are excited about their investment and interest in our community," states Winneshiek County Development Director Stephanie Fromm. "Over the years, we have heard many times from community members about their interest in bringing Hy-Vee to our area, and that feedback is what really set off this endeavor." Local building owners Kent and Marla Klocke said, "We are grateful to WCDI, Decorah Jobs and the city of Decorah for supporting this economic development project that will not only benefit Decorah but our surrounding communities as well."


The work to bring Hy-Vee to the area has been a collaborative effort over nearly twelve months when the development group first came to Decorah searching for challenging projects. Fromm initiated and fostered the relationship between local business owners Kent and Marla Klocke--owners of the building which will now house Hy-Vee--and project developer Brian Ridge of Ridge Development, and commercial real estate professional Ryan Fitzpatrick of Cushman and Wakefield. This fostered relationship resulted in the agreements to purchase the former Quillin's Grocery box for redevelopment and eventually led to the opportunity to develop the building for the Hy-Vee store.


"It is always exciting when you can help fulfill the needs of parties on all ends of a transaction," states Fromm. "This one project enabled us to assist the Klockes in the transition of their building, utilize existing infrastructure for a new project, and secure a high-quality retailer for our area that will become an anchor tenant that spurs further growth and development of our local economy."


For more information about the project or the services available through Winneshiek County Development, contact Stephanie Fromm at 563-382-6061 or director@winneshiekdevelopment.org