Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 1, 1938, Hyde & Vredenburg, Inc., better known to Iowans as Hy-Vee, officially incorporated and established a headquarters in Lamoni. The partnership blossomed from Beaconsfield, and incorporation featured autonomy for owners, a forerunner to the employee ownership valued by the company today.
In 1917, David Vredenburg entered the grocery business, operating a store for the Lamoni-based General Supply Company. In 1921, Charles Hyde started working at a store operated by Vredenberg and his partner Lewis in Woodbine. By 1930, Vredenburg decided to form a partnership to form the General Supply Company and open their first store in Beaconsfield, Iowa.
After the Great Depression forced the dissolution of the General Supply Company, Vredenburg purchased many of the chain’s holdings. The two partners operated their own stores in addition to their joint venture, and by 1938, Hyde and Vredenburg decided to consolidate their independently owned stores in Iowa and Missouri into a 15-store chain.
The company of Hyde & Vredenburg continued to build, moving corporate headquarters to Chariton in 1945. In 1952, the company also adopted the winning entry of an employee naming contest to adopt the familiar Hy-Vee brand for the stores. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
