THEISEN'S HOME-FARM-AUTO

THEISEN'S HOME-FARM-AUTO. The four-generation family business started in Dubuque in 1927. Leo N. THEISEN and his wife, Kathryn, opened the first Theisen's store, Theisen Battery & Electric Company, on 8th Street in Dubuque. Beginning in 1948 and lasting four years, a partner, John J. O'NEILL joined the firm which was then operated as Theisen-O'Neill Tire Company.

In 1952 the firm joined a national buying group, Mid-State Distributing, comprised of other independent retailers. Leo A. "Jim" THEISEN, president of the firm in 1996, joined the company in 1956. The following year, the store's first branch was opened in Maquoketa. Other branches were opened in Anamosa (1964), Dyersville (1967), Tipton (1968), DeWitt (1970), Monticello (1971), and Iowa Falls (1994).

Theisen Distributing, the corporate headquarters and distribution facility, was established in 1973 to service the retail outlets. The Dubuque store later relocated to 2900 Dodge. In 1987, the corporate headquarters and distribution facility in Dubuque were moved to a 50,000 square foot building in the industrial park west of the NORTHWEST ARTERIAL. This was operated as Theisen Supply Inc. (4949 Chavenelle Road). In 1996, the company had approximately 240 employees.

In 2014 with the company having twenty locations, the firm's first open-of-state facility was scheduled to be opened in Sparta, Wisconsin in 2015. At the time, Jim Theisen stated that other stores might be opened in Wisconsin and Illinois. (1)

Theisen's announced on August 18, 2016 that they had hired the retailer's first outside president since the company was founded in 1927. Brannon Dixon will take over as the company's leader, and "will direct all functions to attain strategic, financial and operational goals for the overall performance" of the company, according to a press release. Theisen's had 22 stores located in Iowa and Wisconsin and planned to open a 23rd in Davenport in the fall of 2016. (2)

The company which maintained a presence in Dubuque since 1927 was recognized as the 2019 Business of the Year by the DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. (3) The company annually supported through its charitable fund and a partnership with the COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER DUBUQUE the Theisen's More for Your Community grants to agencies launching or sustaining projects serving the basic needs of families and children including food shelter, education, safety and health. The maximum request for 501c(3) non-profit, government-sponsored or school-sponsored organizations with a sixty-mile radius of a Theisen store was $5,000. In 2019 more than $350,000 was expected to be distributed. (4)

The 1987 Dubuque City Directory listed 260 Dodge.

The 1989 through 2014 Dubuque City Directory listed 2900 Dodge.

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Source:

1. Jacobson, Ben. "Theisen's to Open First Out-of-State Facility," Telegraph Herald, August 8, 2014, p. 4

2. Hanson, Brad. "Dubuque-based Theisen's Hires First Outside President," KWWL.com. Online: http://www.kwwl.com/story/32791873/2016/08/18/dubuque-based-theisens-hires-first-outside-president

3. Montgomery, Jeff, "Theisen's Named Business of the Year," Telegraph Herald, June 21, 2019, p. 3A

4. "Deadline to Apply for Theisen's Community Grants is July 31," Telegraph Herald, July 29, 2019, p. 3A