Hy-Vee was founded in 1930 by Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg, who opened a small general store in Beaconsfield, Iowa.
For a few years both founders continued to run separate stores and stores with other partners, while also running some stores together. However, in 1934 these general stores with such names as The Supply Stores, Hyde Service Store, and Vredenburg Grocery began selling only groceries.
Eight years later, the two men incorporated as Hyde & Vredenburg, Inc with 15 stores and 16 stockholders. The name Hy-Vee is a contraction of the two founders’ names.
Thus began the company's heritage of being an employee-owned organization. The new corporation headquartered in Lamoni, Iowa, chose Dwight Vredenburg, a son of the cofounder, as its president. Its 1938 annual sales were about $1.5 million.
At the end of 1939, there were 23 stores.
Private label products sung the name Hy-Vee name were introduced in 1956.
In the 1970s Hy-Vee continued to grow by opening new stores, building more warehouse space, and adding new technology. A 1971 addition of 78,000 square feet brought the total capacity of the Chariton warehouse up to 430,000 square feet.
Hy-Vee started stores in three additional states during the decade: South Dakota in 1975, Nebraska in 1977, and Illinois in 1979.
Other company landmarks for the decade included the opening of the 100th store, in Keokuk, Iowa (also the first store in the chain to use electronic cash registers), and surpassing the $500 million annual sales mark, in 1978, for the first time.
In 1978, Dwight Vredenburg was elected as the first CEO of the company and Chairman of the board.
By 1979, Hy-Vee stores were 124 units with 10,000 employees.
Early History of Hy-Vee
