MID-COUNTY MESSENGER
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A mix of talent
Jewelry designer, grandmother, electronics professional, and community volunteer – Del Gallup has no shortage of diverse talents.
But, the one she’ s probably best known for is being the friendly manager of Mid-County Coop’ s Holiday Station Store in Cologne.
“ I’ ve been manager here for 10 years,” Del said.“ I like it. I enjoy my customers, and I enjoy my employees.”
Del didn’ t always plan to be a convenience store manager, however.
After growing up in Sioux Falls, SD, she earned an associate’ s degree in bio medical electronics from a technical school in Detroit Lakes.
She then got a job in her field in Minneapolis, but the long commute and time away from family eventually prompted her to make a switch.
That’ s when she saw the opening for an assistant manager at Mid-County
Coop’ s convenience store.
She was hired, and within six months, was promoted to manager.
Now, after a decade of service, Del said she probably
Del Gallup knows 90 percent of her customers.
“ You get to know the people who walk through that door,” she said.“ Not just people from Cologne, but the surrounding communities, as well.”
Many regular customers remember when the store was a Cenex. Two years ago, it became a Holiday station.
“ We remodeled the whole store,” Del said.“ It looks brighter and more open.” www. midcountycoop. com
Deb Kechely is right at home at Mid-County Coop
Deb Kechely moved to Fairfax in May, but a long commute doesn’ t dampen her enthusiasm about working for Mid-County Coop’ s auto truck and tire shop.
“ I would rather drive one hour to a job I love, than drive 20 minutes to a job I can’ t stand,” she said.
Deb has been with Mid-County since December 2010, and enjoys taking care of customers, checking inventory, scheduling appointments, invoicing, doing purchase orders, and more.
“ I love it,” she said.“ The people I work with are awesome.”
Deb grew up in Minnetonka, and graduated from Waconia High School in 1980. Early on, she got married, raised three children, and did daycare from her home.
She later remarried, and she and her husband, Jamie, now have six adult children and three grandchildren.
“ We’ re kind of like‘ The Brady Bunch,’” Deb said.
Before it closed, Deb worked at
N o r d i cTr a c k in Glencoe for five years. Her first position involved drilling skis, and she was quickly promoted to lead. Then, she was promoted again, to planning and
Jamie and Deb expediting. When the plant closed, Deb took a temporary position at LeSueur Incorporated that involved buying, ordering, and taking inventory.
At one point, she also earned her cosmetology license and became a certified nursing assistant.
“ I’ ve done quite a few different things,” she said.
About eight years of Deb’ s corporate experience came through Holiday convenience store management.
“ That’ s how I got to know Mid- County,” she said.“ I knew Bill [ Reimers ], and Del [ Gallup ] and I had worked together.”
Working at Mid-County offers“ the best of both worlds,” according to Deb.
“ It works out nicely,” she said.“ I have experience managing Holiday stores, so I can back them up when needed.”
Deb works 10-hour days Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For her, the time is short, especially compared to the 12- to 14-hour days she’ d spend when she was a Holiday store manager.
“ This is nothing,” she said cheerfully.
In her free time, Deb enjoys babysitting her 8-year-old granddaughter who lives across the street, and going fishing with her husband, who is also her best friend.
“ He’ s my fish bud,” she said.“ We go all the time. We love to be outdoors.”
As part of the Holiday chain, the store stocks new and popular products, and is also technology-conscious.
“ There’ s always something new happening, and we’ re always looking to improve,” Del said.
Del, a resident of Hamburg, also seeks continual improvement in her personal life. She’ s a member of the Cologne Lions Club, enjoys making jewelry, has four adult children, and four grandchildren( ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years).
One of her four grandchildren recently passed away, but Del said he is still part of her heart. She is grateful to live in a place where people care for one another in times of hardship, and said that the community has been overwhelmingly supportive.
“ I love the area,” she said.“ I’ ll never leave here.”