For 60 years, Double Kwik has provided Eastern Kentucky with gas, essentials, and homecooking, like their infamous pizza rolls. As a convenience store brand, it might not be the first place people think of when they picture community leadership, but today they serve as an unlikely hero in many ways.
The company was started by Don Childers in 1966 with a handful of fuel trucks delivering to remote coal camps and job sites. By 1972, Don and his wife, Peggy, opened one of the area’s first self-service gas stations. Over time, they built a company that now serves 40 communities across the region with fuel, a selection of food including basic groceries and household goods, and in-store kitchens cooking up favorite dishes.
Having grown up around the business, Missy Matthews, daughter to Don and Peggy, is the President of the company which today employs around 850 people. Missy is a person many in the community turn to for her creative leadership and problem-solving.
A Building Reimagined for Public Health
After a bold move by Missy and Double Kwik’s leadership, Double Kwik headquarters now shares space with the Letcher County Health Department in Whitesburg, and has transformed a once underutilized building into an amazing asset, lifting a burden off the taxpayers of Letcher County.
Originally constructed by the county in 2008 to house the Health Department and additional providers, the facility was never fully occupied. It quickly became a financial burden on the county, particularly after the 2022 flood introduced a new host of economic challenges to overcome.
Though they had originally planned their headquarters for Jenkins, after the flood, Missy knew they needed to find as many ways to support the area as possible. They decided to buy the building from the county, and lease the first floor back to the health department, allowing the county to save the taxpayer dollars and reduced lease costs for the health department.
“Now, we bring anywhere from 45 to 80 people into downtown on any given day,” Missy said. “They’re walking to get lunch or coffee, supporting fellow local businesses.”
Finding Ways to Save
After purchasing the building, they renovated the second and third floors to include office space, a training kitchen and training spaces. At the same time, they looked for ways to combat rising energy costs.
“We pay an enormous amount of energy bills as a company—it’s one of our biggest expenses. Finding ways to manage that has always been important,” Charles ‘Junior’ Matthews, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, said.
After consulting with other local business owners with solar, including Kentucky Mist Moonshine, solar became “almost a no-brainer.” With facilitation by the Mountain Association’s Energy Team, they received a USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant, covering half the costs of the installation. The system now brings $18,660 in annual savings to the company.
Junior said the system has proven seamless and that they love to pull up their solar tracking app to see the savings rolling in on sunny days.
Commitment to Eastern Kentucky
Looking ahead, the company is exploring additional solar and savings opportunities, continuing its efforts to reduce costs and increase resilience. For each dollar they save, they can put more investments into our region and quality jobs they create.
Double Kwik has a strong history of supporting local students through scholarships, hosting teacher appreciation events, sponsoring community initiatives, and finding new ways to bring joy to their communities – like Elf on the Shelf pop-ups and their Pizza Rollsie mascot. In her role as tourism director, Missy has gotten the company involved in new initiatives, like community cleanups. Nine years ago, she began signing up for the toughest seven-miles of road between the turn off to Bad Branch and Pine Mountain Grill where their team collects nearly 300 bags of trash each year.
“We’ve always believed our responsibility goes beyond our stores. We know that if our communities are strong, we’re strong,” Missy said.
Whether through its stores, its headquarters, or its community efforts, they show up for our communities. From its start with a few fuel trucks in 1966 to a company helping sustain public health and community infrastructure, Double Kwik has become an essential part of the fabric of Eastern Kentucky.
