SCHEELS: A Short History Three acres of potatoes were the seed for the first SCHEELS store in 1902. Frederick A. Scheel, a German immigrant, used the $300 he earned from that first harvest of potatoes as the down payment on the first SCHEELS, a small hardware and general merchandise store in Sabin, Minnesota. Over the years, SCHEELS opened in surrounding communities, including Fargo, where the company's corporate office is now located. Firmly planted in the hardware business, SCHEELS started adding a small selection of sporting goods to their stores in the mid-1950s. Customer interest grew, and more and more sports lines were added, with athletic shoes and clothing being introduced to the product mix in the early '70s
Q: Is there one personality trait that every SCHEELS employee shares? What is it? A: There are many personalities that make up the faces of SCHEELS, but many associates have a friendly and competitive nature. Many are goal-oriented in their personal and professional lives, which helps SCHEELS in its strides to be better at what we do as company. Q: What’s the significance of doing something as simple as greeting a customer when they walk into the store or saying “thank you” after completing a transaction?
would not be here if we didn't have customers, and we like to show our gratitude and appreciation by greeting our customers and thanking them for coming into our stores. Q: Why does SCHEELS encourage their team members’ individual personalities to shine through when interacting with customers? A: Many of our associates truly love to participate in and talk about the sports and activities we sell equipment and clothing for. It's fun talking with customers who share the same passions or who are thinking about getting involved in a sport or activity. We build friendships and can all learn something from each other.
A: Greeting someone is a common courtesy and a show of respect. SCHEELS
SCHEELS' first All Sports Superstore opened in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1989, and its RenoSparks, Nevada, location, which opened in 2008, is the world's largest all-sports store. Today, SCHEELS is a 26-store operation with locations in 11 states. Today, Steve D. Scheel, the great grandson of one of the SCHEELS cofounders, is the company's chairman of the board and his son, Steve M. Scheel, serves as CEO. Bill Nelson serves as president and oversees SCHEELS’ daily operations and more than 6,000 associates. SCHEELS is an employee-owned, privately held business that owes its consistent success to its empowered associates, leaders, and partners who think and make decisions for their individual stores and the entire company.
1991
1993
1994
• 40,000 square-foot store opens in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• Mankato, Minnesota, store relocates to River Hills Mall.
• All SCHEELS stores are converted to sporting good stores, with the exception of SCHEELS Hardware on University Drive in Fargo. • Appleton, Wisconsin, store opens. • North Fargo location closes.
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