Iowa’s largest grocery store chain honored one of its original leaders Tuesday in a ceremony in West Des Moines. Dwight Vredenburg , one of the founders of the Hy-Vee foods, died last year at the age of 88. Hy-Vee spokesperson, Ruth Mitchell says the company wanted to honor the legacy of Vredenburg, and did so by unveiling a life-size bronze statue. Mitchell says Vredenburg was a unique person. She says all the store managers picked him to be the leader when the company incorporated in 1938, even though he was only 23-years-old. Mitchell says the company grew immensely under Vredenburg’s leadership. She says the company started with a general store in Beaconsfield, Iowa in Ringgold County in 1930 with Vredenburg’s dad and a partner, Charles Hyde. There were 15 stores when Dwight Vredenburg took over the company. Mitchell says the company continued to grow under its current name. She says the name Hy-Vee combined the name of the founders, and the company now has 219 stores across seven states. The events Tuesday also included a reunion of Hy-Vee employees.
