Kwik King Food Stores:

TORONTO - Kwik King Food Stores has been a family endeavor since opening the first of its seven locations in 1984.

The franchise has stores in East Liverpool, Wellsville, Follansbee, Steubenville, Wintersville and two locations in Toronto, and will be joined by an eighth location off Colliers Way exit in Weirton this spring.

John Riley, co-owner of Kwik King, along with his wife, Rita, said his family has been involved in the growth of the business every step of the way.

"It's always been important to have the family involved in the business. Our kids have always helped out," said Riley, adding that he felt it was important to instill a good work ethic in them. "There were times when other kids would be going out and having fun, but I'd tell them, 'Too bad, you have to work.' I believe it helped build a strong work ethic in them. They've grown to be hard-working, responsible adults."

Riley said that the road to the first Kwik King, located on North Fourth Street in the Gem City, began when he was working six days a week, 12 hours a day at Modern Dairy in Steubenville. Riley had the opportunity to purchase the former Toots Amoco and several other properties, including the future Kwik King headquarters.

"We were struggling and could barely meet the mortgages," Riley said, "but we knew we had to make improvements, so Rita and I decided to remodel the station into a convenience store."

"The first store was originally known as Toronto Drive-Thru," said Riley. "Our focus was on having a drive-through window, which no one else had at that time. We worked at that location for five years before buying our second store in East Liverpool. I quit my job at Modern Dairy to manage the East Liverpool store, while Rita managed the Toronto store. In 1991, we bought a third store location in Wellsville. When we opened our third store, I decided we needed a franchise, a universal name to focus on advertising," continued Riley.

Riley said he knew of a franchise in the Cincinnati area known as King Quick; that's what had given him the idea for Kwik King. However, it was several years before he was able to use the name due to branding issues. Until that time, Riley said he continued to focus on building new stores.

"We built the Franklin Street store (in Toronto) in 1998, and the Wintersville store in 1999," Riley said. "In 2002, we began building the Follansbee store and opened the doors in March of 2003." The business expanded to Steubenville in 2003 when he purchased the location at the corner of University Boulevard and Seventh Street. Currently, Kwik King employs 175-plus people.

Riley said he's proud of Kwik King's growth since opening 26 years ago. He's also very proud of the many employees who have been with him since the beginning. "We've done it by focusing on customer service and by offering quality convenience products ranging from deli items to Marathon gasoline. We also have drive-through windows at all our locations, which is a great service for those with children or for customers who are handicapped.

"Kwik King has won the best gas station, best deli and best wings in the Herald-Star's annual readership awards for the past several years," said Riley.

Riley Petroleum Co. has grown and prospered since being founded in 2003 as well. "I decided to focus on the petroleum company for awhile," said Riley. "It has continued to grow every year. We're now a Marathon and a Sunoco dealer, serving many area gas stations."

Riley Petroleum products include heating oil, diesel and biofuels delivered for customers ranging from gas stations and construction businesses, to individual residences.

"We have customers as far south as Woodsfield, Ohio, and as far North as Cleveland," said Riley. "We have a lot of customers using bio-diesel fuel these days. We also provide both ultra-low and regular diesel."

Now that the petroleum company is up and running, Riley said that his main priority is to build more Kwik King stores. "We'd like to build three new stores in the next three years," he said.

Riley has seen success at his Gem City Plaza in Toronto as well. Recently several new tenants have moved into the structure; one vacancy remains.

Riley Petroleum and Kwik King Food Store's headquarters are located at 118 S. Fourth St., Toronto. For information on Kwik King, call (740) 537-1343 or visit them online at www.KwikKingStores.com. For information on Riley Petroleum, call (740) 537-2329 or 877-853-FUEL or visit them online at www.rileypetrolium.com.