‘I am incredibly grateful to be a small part of the team’
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February 9, 2026
NEENAH – Theisen’s Home•Farm•Auto, an Iowa-based speciality retailer with roughly two dozen locations across the Midwest, is set to expand its presence in the Badger State this year with a new store in Neenah.
Taking over the former Krueger’s True Value at 999 Winneconne Ave., Steven Jensen – chief marketing and merchandising officer – said Theisen’s has served its communities for nearly a century by continuously adjusting to their individual needs.
“Four generations [ago] – almost 100 years – [our founders Leo and Kathryn] started Theisen’s in downtown Dubuque as a tire shop, and then really evolved… into the ’70s and beyond,” he said. “We operate 25 stores out of Dubuque, but primarily, we have 21 stores in Iowa and four stores in Wisconsin right now. The Neenah opening will be our fifth store in Wisconsin.”
For a little more than a decade, Jensen said the family-owned-and-operated Theisen’s (pronounced like “Tyson’s”) has had a presence in the dairy state – with its first Wisconsin-based store opening in Sparta in 2015.
“Wisconsin was a new market for us a number of years ago, and we found [a] great connection to our customer,” he said. “Whether they’re hobby farmers or farmers, they love the outdoors, they love to hunt and fish [or] they love to work on their truck, that’s our wheelhouse. And, in Wisconsin, that customer base is very tied into that [lifestyle, so] we’re really well connected.”
Targeting a “late spring, early summer” opening, Jensen said Theisen’s is looking forward to serving and contributing to the Fox Cities community.
“We’re excited to work with local contractors and make sure we can hit our targets [to] get open for the season [and] for the customers there in Neenah,” he said.
A ‘made in heaven’ marriage
Jensen said Theisen’s had been actively searching for a new store location for “a couple of years” prior to discovering Krueger’s True Value in Neenah was closing due to the family’s retirement.
“Candidly, whether it’s in Wisconsin or Iowa or other states, we continue to be on the search for good, new properties that we’re a great fit for,” he said. “When the opportunity came up in Neenah, it just seemed like a marriage that was made in heaven.”
With its mix of semi-suburban and rural residential areas and proximity to Lake Winnebago, Jensen said the Neenah-based building was a “great location” for a new Theisen’s store.
“We really love the customer base there,” he said. “You’ve got a really good, dense, residential population there. Obviously, you’re right adjacent to Lake Winnebago, so you’ve got that customer who loves outdoor activity, and you’re only a couple miles out [from] the country where you hit some of the small farms in the area. So, it’s really a good sweet spot for us.”
Learning about the Krueger’s True Value opportunity through word of mouth, Jensen said Theisen’s immediately began contacting the owners to establish the right connections.
“[We started] building that relationship, and then start[ed] building the thought process of what it would take in order for us to go into that facility,” he said. “It really worked out great.”
Jensen said the Krueger family – who owned and operated the True Value with the Webb family for more than 150 years – has worked with Theisen’s throughout the store’s transfer of ownership.
“The Krueger family was fantastic in helping us get prepared and ready to go in there, and [were] great to work with,” he said. “We’re excited to work with them and carry on a long tradition that they had in Neenah. We’re a little bit different from them, obviously, but [we want to] carry on [their] great customer service and great products.”
In comparison to the merchandise available at the former True Value, Jensen said Theisen’s Neenah store will be slightly less focused on hardware and lumber sales.
“But, we also offer quite a bit more,” he said. “We’re going to come in with a great assortment of power equipment, seasonal lawn and garden [merchandise], and we’ll have a really nice sporting goods selection there.”
Jensen said Theisen’s “bread-and-butter,” however, is helping customers care for their “four-legged” family.
“[We have a strength] for servicing and helping your pets [and] feeding your animals,” he said. “Our farm business will be a very attractive piece in [Neenah].”
Offering products for both farm animals and household pets, Jensen said, makes Theisen’s a one-stop shop for animal care.
“We love all the animals,” he said. “We love to treat both our pets and our farm animals. We love how our customers interact with them, and they rely on them for a lot of things in their lives.”
Renovations, retention
With its nearest Northeast Wisconsin Theisen’s store being in Ripon, Jensen said the opportunity to occupy space in Neenah means the company can serve more customers across the region.
“I think that was the sweet spot,” he said. “Customers in that area – in Neenah, the southern part of Menasha and a little bit further to the south – don’t have a store like us, [which is] a real convenience for them.”
Located just off Interstate 41, Jensen said, also makes the store convenient for locals and passers-by alike to stop and shop.
“We’re in a nice location, easy to get in and out of,” he said. “Today, that customer may have to go farther north to Appleton or Green Bay [for a specific] solution, or they may have to go farther south to Oshkosh. Our type of store fits well into that size market, and really can service both the immediate area as well as anybody looking to travel a distance.”
Despite its operations being centrally based in Iowa, Jensen said a priority of Theisen’s is to ensure not only quality, but consistent customer service across all its locations.
“We try to be one connected team,” he said. “From our stores [to] our store support center, [we’re] really making sure we’re connected in what we’re offering and how we’re talking to our customers.”
At the time of his interview with The Business News, Jensen said the Neenah location was “wide open” to retaining any former True Value associates interested in a career with Theisen’s in Neenah.
“We may even bring some folks up [from] Ripon who may be commuting a ways and could be working at the Neenah store as well,” he said. “So, it’s a good combination, but we’re definitely open to talking to former associates as we start our hiring process.”
In the meantime, Jensen said Theisen’s focus is on renovating the former True Value – “maximizing” its retail square footage to put “as many great products” as possible on the floor for customers to shop.
“We’re working on making sure it’s extremely shoppable,” he said. “That work has started and will continue to happen over the next month or two.”
Cultural community involvement
As a family-run business, Jensen said one of Theisen’s core principles is being actively involved in and giving back to the communities it serves.
“We set aside and donate a decent amount of money every year to [allocate to] every local community, and every local community has the opportunity to apply for grants that we will support,” he said. “So, that’s a big part of who we are and what we do.”
Jensen said he believes Theisen’s culture has aided the company in its successes through its near-century in operation.
“I think it’s one of the reasons why a lot of people work for us, and I think it’s also one of the reasons why a lot of people shop with us,” he said. “We try to be as connected as we can and make sure our store associates are as connected as we can be in the community.”
As for its forthcoming Neenah store, Jensen said Theisen’s is simply “excited” to open its doors and begin serving its newest community.
“We can’t wait to work with the Neenah area community and local residents,” he said. “[We’re already getting] to know some of those folks and learn more about what they want from a product standpoint, or what they need from a store in Neenah, [because] we want to be very open to listen and be able to accommodate what the community needs us to do.”
For more on the company and updates on Theisen’s Neenah location, visit the company’s website (theisens.com) or social media pages.
