Built on Tradition, Thriving on Innovation — Theisen’s Wins Retail Beacon Award
From its first tire shop in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1927, Theisen’s Home•Farm•Auto has rolled steadily forward, growing into a 24-store retail chain serving Iowa and Wisconsin. Nearly a century after its founding, the family name remains at the center of a business built on hard work and local roots.
Theisen’s strong, longstanding ties to its customers helped earn the company and its namesake family a 2025 Retail Beacon Award, recognizing excellence in performance, innovation and leadership.
Foundation of People-First Trust
The Theisen’s story starts with that tire shop and a philosophy: “People buy from people, not companies.” That principle has endured across four generations of family leadership and remains central to the business’s operations today.
“Each generation has built on the last,” says J.R. Bellamy, Theisen’s director of purchasing. “We’ve evolved from hard goods into a modern mix of farm, home and lifestyle products, but the culture hasn’t changed. It’s still about relationships, trust and serving our communities.”
Those values have shaped a culture defined by integrity, Midwestern work ethic and a focus on people—a formula that has enabled Theisen’s to grow steadily while maintaining its identity as a family business. Its two dozen stores across Iowa and Wisconsin average over 20,000 square feet and offer all the core home improvement departments. Still headquartered in Dubuque, it’s now overseen by the third and fourth generations of the founding family.
Award-Winning Retail Experience
Beacon Awards aren’t given to the biggest businesses, but to the most exceptional. Theisen’s earned its recognition through consistent performance, a willingness to innovate and investment in the customer experience.
The company has embraced strategic category resets and data-driven merchandising, often in partnership with Orgill’s Retail Services team. One standout example: a recent comprehensive reset of its hand tools department. With Orgill, Theisen’s was able to optimize shelf layout to better match demand, resulting in a sales surge. The reset improved inventory productivity and enhanced customer satisfaction by ensuring the right mix of tools was in stock.
“Leveraging Orgill’s analytics and planning tools, we were able to rethink the store’s entire layout and assortment,” Bellamy explains. “The result was double-digit sales growth, happier customers and more productivity per square foot.”
A Trusted Partner: Working with Orgill
One reason Theisen’s has been able to evolve without losing its roots is its strong partnership with Orgill—“a big part of how we serve our customers,” Bellamy says. “Their weekly deliveries keep us stocked on project items, and their broad SKU selection gives us access to the products people are looking for.”
Orgill has also supported category resets across all 24 locations, helping Theisen’s align assortments with regional trends and store-level needs. The overall sales trajectory has been positive, fueled by its focus on understanding customer needs and investing in the shopping experience.
Its steady expansion testifies to its long-term financial health. Each new or remodeled store benefits from careful market research and planning. Theisen’s embodies the principle that listening to customers and fine-tuning product assortments leads to sustainable growth. Its financial discipline, combined with strategic category initiatives like the hand tools refresh, has solidified its reputation as a profitable retailer that’s always growing.
Serving the Community Every Day
To understand what sets Theisen’s apart, look beyond the sales numbers and into the neighborhoods that its stores call home. Giving back isn’t a rote corporate initiative; it’s a defining part of its identity.
At the center of that philosophy is the “More for Your Community” grant program, which donates $350,000 annually to nonprofits across Iowa and Wisconsin. Through a partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, every store community receives at least $5,000 each year, supporting causes that address the basic needs of children and families, including food, shelter, education, safety and health. Since its launch in 2009, the program has contributed nearly $3.4 million to hundreds of local organizations.
For Chris Theisen, a third-generation family leader, that mission is personal. He serves as president of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque and has been involved with the Hills & Dales Board (a not-for-profit human services organization), Mercy Hospital Board of Trustees and Holy Family Catholic Schools. “Our stores are part of these towns,” Bellamy says. “When our neighbors thrive, we thrive. That’s why you’ll see our people volunteering at events, donating to schools and supporting first responders—it’s all part of who we are.”
Theisen’s also invests in youth development and education through scholarships and sponsorships. The company contributes to organizations such as 4-H, the National FFA Organization and the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement (IFAA). It funds annual 4-H scholarships through the Iowa 4-H Foundation and supports the IFAA Winner’s Circle program, which benefits Iowa FFA and 4-H members. Theisen’s has also established scholarships at local colleges, including Kirkwood Community College and Northeast Iowa Community College, encouraging students to pursue trade skills and agricultural sciences.
