Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Mayor Terry Sveine (with scissors), the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce Willkommen Committee and Miss Minnesota Gabrielle “Elle” Mark (far right) joined in welcoming the second Kwik Trip store to New Ulm on Tuesday.

NEW ULM — A grand opening ribbon cutting was held for the new Kwik Trip store on 16th North and Broadway.

Mayor Terry Sveine, the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce Willkommen Committee and Miss Minnesota Gabrielle “Elle” Mark joined in welcoming the second Kwik Trip store to New Ulm.

Kwik Trip CEO Don Zietlow attended the ceremony and said he believed the new store would grow with New Ulm. He also wanted to thank the employees, saying they were Kwik Trip’s greatest asset.

Lead Store manager Carrita Anderson also thanked her team for making the store run well.

During the ceremony, Kwik Trip gave two donations of $1,000 of each to the New Ulm Fire Department and New Ulm Police Department.

Miss Minnesota Elle Mark also thanked Kwik Trip for opening stores like this. She said as a Miss Minnesota she travels all over the state and Kwik Trip is the place she refuels. Mark referenced New Ulm’s German heritage and Kwik Trip hospitality describing the store’s relationship to customers as “gemütlichkeit”, the German word for friendliness.

Sveine gave a short speech thanking Kwik Trip for opening a new store on the north end of the city. Sveine said he lived on the north side of town and the store was extra convenient for him. As mayor he thanked them, but as a citizen of New Ulm, he really thanked them.

The ceremonial ribbon cutting was done by Sveine and store lead manager Carrita Anderson.

The new Kwik Trip opened on Sept. 10. It represents a new generation of Kwik Trip stores with greater square footage than previous stores.