After more than a decade, couple to pass c-store business to nephews.
Merle and Pat Kulhanek’s CITGO C-Mart station on State Highway 29 in Denmark, Wis., has been a local landmark for 16 years. Now, after more than a decade of owning and operating their business, the Kulhaneks have retired and passed the station to their nephews, Jesse and Matt Shimon.
“Since 1997, it has been a pleasure to be part of the CITGO family,” said Merle Kulhanek, former owner and operator of the C-Mart location. “After we built this store, we did not hesitate to brand it CITGO and over the past 16 years, we have never looked back. Now, we are thrilled the CITGO tradition can carry on in the family and we hope Jesse and Matt enjoy the CITGO experience as much as we have.”
The Kulhaneks built the store from the ground up in 1997 and immediately chose to align themselves with CITGO. They renewed their contract three times and continued to value the brand throughout their 16 years in the business.
“We value our relationships with each and every retailer across the CITGO footprint. When owners and operators are as loyal as the Kulhaneks have been over the years, we know our relationship is a successful one,” said Scott Stangel, wholesale marketing manager for CITGO Marketer Quality State Oil. “While we are sad to see them retire, we are thrilled to continue this relationship within the family and look forward to working with the Shimon brothers to help provide the Denmark community with quality fuel from local owners.”
Quality State Oil Co. is a full-line petroleum distributor, including service for both residential and commercial customers. In addition to delivering premium fuel to its large customer base, the Quality State retail division, which operates under the name “Q Mart,” includes 18 convenience store locations in northeastern Wisconsin.
