Casey’s, located at 117 E. Jackson in Keytesville, was named Business of the Month by the Keytesville Chamber of Commerce at a random drawing held at a recent meeting. Manager Deanna Wright was very co-operative when asked several questions about the business which opened Jan 4, 1990, in its current location.
Deanna has been working for Casey’s 15 years and will complete year 16 in July of this year. She has been Manager of the Keytesville store for about ten years. She says she likes working for Casey’s for two main reasons: it is located close to home, and she enjoys meeting and interacting with the customers who come in the store.
When she was asked what she considered to be the most challenging aspect of her job, Deanna said that trying to satisfy all the customers could sometimes be daunting. One unusual incident she recalled which happened about 4 or 5 years ago was when a customer ran his vehicle into the front of the building, shattering the large plate glass window not far from the cash register. That event caused a good bit of excitement as well as consternation not only for employees but customers as well!
Several surrounding Casey’s General Stores have expanded in recent years, and some townsfolk have been wondering if or when Keytesville’s Casey’s might get a bigger building with more amenities. When asked that question and if there was any way that The Casey’s headquarters in Iowa would listen to requests for expansion, Deanna said that the general rule of thumb for the headquarters’ decision to expand current stores was primarily based on the dollar amount of sales that occurred at the facility, however, she also indicated that sometimes headquarters would listen to requests and input by private citizens within a town as well as other business owners, groups within the city, etc. To that end, the Keytesville Chamber of Commerce is planning to institute a letter writing campaign as well as a petition drive to make our collective voices heard that our town would like a bigger Casey’s. Watch for details of this endeavor in an upcoming edition of the Chariton County Journal.
Deanna Wright, Casey’s Manager, is married to Roy Wright and is the mother of two daughters, Candi and Tiffany. Currently Deanna and her husband are grandparents to two grandsons and according to Deanna, both daughters are expecting and soon they will have two more grandsons. Casey’s General Store at Keytesville is congratulated by the Keytesville Chamber of Commerce for being the February Business of the Month!