Meyer moves with Krause Gentle Corp.

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The Krause family helped Matthew Meyer get where he is today, and that’s one of the main reasons he wants to stay with Krause Gentle Corp. as director of public relations. Meyer, who recently received his master’s degree in communications from Drake University, grew up in Waterloo and got his bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. Upon graduation, he moved to Greater Des Moines to take a job with Strategic America, then called Schreurs and Associates, as an account coordinator. He worked there for three years.

Meyer then joined the Stadium Foundation, an organization created to raise funds for and develop a new soccer stadium in the Des Moines area. The foundation shared a building with Krause Gentle Corp. and the Des Moines Menace soccer club. It was through the Stadium Foundation that he met Kyle Krause, owner of the Menace and chief operating officer of Krause Gentle. When the director of public relations position opened up, Krause suggested the company consider Meyer.

“It was a sweet surprise to be considered,” Meyer said. “I went through the process and was selected.”

Meyer, a former collegiate soccer player, says he loves the sport, and although he no longer works for the Stadium Foundation, he still helps out when he can. He even coached a soccer team of girls under age 11 for the Des Moines Menace Youth Academy.

Meyer’s main focus is representing Krause Gentle, a parent company for 19 businesses, including Kum & Go, a convenience store chain with 342 stores in 12 states. He says his biggest challenge is to help people understand that convenience stores have a vested interest in the communities in which they are located.   The company tries to show its interest through donations, volunteering and creating safe, well-lit stores.

Meyer says Krause Gentle began when Tony Gentle and his son-in-law Bill Krause started a filling station on a gravel drive in Hampton, Iowa, nearly 45 years ago. The growth of the family-owned company is an inspiration, he said.

“It’s the American dream come to fruition,” Meyer said. “That entrepreneurial spirit trickles down through the company. I see myself moving with Krause Gentle in the future.”