It’s been the target of countless juvenile jokes ever since its name was adopted in 1975, but Iowa’s very own Kum & Go gas station chain might be in store for a rebranding.
The potential change in Iowa is a result of FJ Management, the parent company of Maverik, purchasing the Kum & Go name in 2023. Maverik, a Utah-based convenience store and gas station chain, is intended to become the new name in place of the Kum & Go brand.
Kum & Go is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, and operates in over 400 stores while Maverik operates in over 800 locations.
In an email to The Daily Iowan, Maverik External Communications Specialist Megan Valentine clarified the company’s intentions with the rebranding.
“To be clear, Maverik has not yet confirmed a rebrand in Iowa, nor have all markets been confirmed to rebrand,” she wrote. “While we intend to unify our entire combined footprint under the Maverik brand, we are taking a thoughtful, market-by-market approach and will solidify and announce plans for each state as we continue to progress.”
University of Iowa student reactions have been mixed.
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Caden Van Peterson described how he believed that the Kum & Go brand is an integral part of Midwestern culture, arguing that the change made little sense and would be similar to changing the Casey’s brand.
“Elon Musk changed Twitter to X, and people hated it, so I feel like that’s going to be the same thing,” he said. “Why not just keep the name the same? It’s always been that way.”
UI first-year student Connor Bramblett said the brand change would be unfitting for a Midwestern setting, describing the Maverik brand as adventurous when looking at the mountain range logo.
While Bramblett feels the name rebrand itself is unfitting, he believes a complete overhaul of Kum and Go stores into the Maverik store layout would be an improvement.
Bramblett was able to visit a Maverik location on a backpacking trip in Utah and was thoroughly impressed.
“I think overall, the Maverick stores are way better than Kum & Go,” he said. “The food is way better. You can actually go up to a counter and they make food for you. Maverick is like the best gas station I’ve ever been to.”
Bramblett believes if the rebrand rolls around to Iowa there will be backlash — and maybe last-minute purchases of Kum & Go merch.