HISTORY OF

W.H. KOCH CO., INC.

The W.H. Koch Co., Inc. is the parent company of two Piggly Wiggly stores, located in Sweet Springs and Chillicothe, Missouri, and Sweet Springs Pharmacy, located inside Sweet Springs Piggly Wiggly.  What became the W.H. Koch Co., Inc. had it's beginnings in October 1956 when Ralph and Evelyn Koch bought the Food Fair in Sweet Springs from Paul and Margie Hoffman.  The store was located on Main Street.  In October of 1965, the Koch's reached a life long dream of theirs when they opened a new United Super store in Sweet Springs at what is still the location where they operate.

In the early 1970's, their son Bill and his wife Phyllis became involved in the ownership of the business.  Bill has worked in the store since January of 1959, starting out bagging potatoes at the age of 11, before becoming a meat cutter in 1965, a passion he still has today.  In 1980, Bill and his wife Phyllis purchased the remainder of the ownership from Ralph and Evelyn.  In 1982, Bill started an expansion of the present location in Sweet Springs which resulted in a doubling of size for the store.  In October of 1987, the Koch's bought another United Super store in Chillicothe.  In October of 1992, the company bought the shopping center that that store was located in, The South Town Shopping Center, and began the expansion of that location.  In 1992, the Sweet Springs location joined Piggly Wiggly Co. as one of their franchises.  In 1994, the Chillicothe store, due to the great success as a Piggly Wiggly in Sweet Springs, converted to a Piggly Wiggly as well.  Bill served 5 years on the National Board of Directors of the Piggly Wiggly Operators Association, beginning in 1995 and culminating in 2000, when he served as its President.

Both stores have been kept up-to-date with remodels, adding a pharmacy to the Sweet Springs location in 2004, a deli/restaurant in 2007, and a Durable Medical Equipment business added to the Pharmacy in 2008.  In 2004, the Chillicothe store was remodeled, adding a liquor department and a floral department and then again in 2008 when a deli/restaurant was added and the floral department was expanded.  Both stores are continually looking for ways they can update and better serve their community.

The company is proud to have a staff with longevity in the company.  Bill and Phyllis' daughter, Veronica, is the accountant and her husband, Tony Clark, who started with the company at the age of 16, is operations manager of the Chillicothe location.  In Sweet Springs, the store is managed by Darla Reid, a twenty year veteran who started her career with the company while in high school at the age of 16.  Also, starting at 16, with the company is Carl Winston, perishable manager and market manager at Sweet Springs.  Carl's career spans over 20 years as well.  Ted Bock, who has recently retired, has been a part of the company for over 40 years.  Ted maintains his long time association with the company as he now works part-time.  The company has also taken advantage of the training of others as well.  Recently, Mike Shoemaker, a 24 year veteran of Wal-Mart who operated and managed Super Centers, joined the staff at Chillicothe as store manager.  Joining Mike as well, is Dale Leaton, another 14 year veteran Wal-Mart perishable manager at the Chillicothe store.  Their training and expertise is greatly appreciated within the company.  At the Chillicothe store, the meat department, viewed by many as the best in the area, is headed by Roy Wright, with a staff totaling over 100 years experience.  The pharmacist in charge at the Sweet Springs Pharmacy is Bill Caviness, who used to manage the pharmacy at Fitzgibbon Hospital.  Joining Bill as a staff pharmacist is Lisa Nichols, who served 14 years at a chain pharmacy before joining our staff in 2004.  Their main goal, as with all the staff, is patient care.  The company has truly been blessed with quality people, many of them coming from the towns that they serve, perhaps that is why they are so dedicated to customer service.

Today, the company is a member of Associated Wholesale Grocers of Kansas City, a grocery co-op enjoying positive growth even in difficult times.  It is with the effective leadership of AWG bringing low cost goods and the unique blend of company trained and mega-corporate trained personnel that has led to the steady growth and survival of the W.H. Koch Co., Inc.  There has been four generations of the Koch family that have worked in the business and it is planned for many more years worth of service to their communities.

www.yourpigglywiggly.com

Store Contacts:

Sweet Springs Piggly Wiggly

Sweet Springs, MO

Phone: 660-335-4131

Store Hours: 8 AM - 8 PM

Chillicothe Piggly Wiggly

Chillicothe, MO

Phone: 660-646-2583

Store Hours: 7 AM - 10 PM