Duane Pederson, left, purchased a gas and service station in 1977. His son Luke, right, is currently helping his father operate the business. Duane has seen many changes in vehicles over the years. He also has overseen some changes in his business, such as expanding his shop many years ago.

Early this summer, in the month of June, Duane Pederson will be marking the 48th anniversary of the day he bought his business in Kiester, Duane’s Felco Service.

“It was on June 20, 1977, that I became the owner of the gas and service station,” Duane recalls. “Interestingly enough, I purchased it from a man named Duane and I am pretty sure he had also purchased it from a guy named Duane.”

Duane, who grew up on a farm, credits his father for helping him get his start.

“At that time I purchased my gas from the local co-op,” Duane says. “My dad set up a line of credit there so I could purchase the gas. I’m pretty sure the co-op would have gone after him if I hadn’t made my payments, but I always paid on time.”

Duane shares when he first started his business, gas was selling for 51.9 cents per gallon and the profit margin was 30 percent.

“We were making 12-13 cents per gallon,” he says.

It was Duane’s experience on the farm that first exposed him to the task of fixing things.

“Dad never took anything into a shop to get repaired,” Duane comments. “He had started farming when he was in eighth grade. I grew up watching him fix things and making things functional. He overhauled a combine engine and more than one tractor engine.”

There is also the story of Duane’s first car, one which he was very excited to own.

“I bought a ’67 Camaro. I paid $400 for it,” Duane says. “The rear end went out of it and I was ready to give up on it but Dad helped me find the parts I needed to repair it and that’s what we did.”

Being in business as many years as he has, Duane has seen many changes, both in the number of gas/service stations in Kiester and also in the cars and pickups themselves.

“When I started in business, I think there were four or five others in Kiester,” Duane remarks. “I know there was a Phillips 66, a Standard and a Conoco station in town. Many of them were located on Highway 22.”

Perhaps one of the biggest changes Duane has seen in his years of operating his business is the evolution of tires, both in size and type.

“Tire sizes have gotten larger over the years. Farmers used to come in looking for a used 15-inch tire they could put on an auger and I would have all kinds of them. Now, 15-inch tires are more rare,”

Duane says. “As for types of tires – it used to be that when the first snowfall of the season came, I would have all kinds of customers coming in wanting to buy snow tires. Now, the manufacturers produce all-season tires and snow tires are pretty much a thing of the past.”

The other change in tires is the increased cost consumers have to pay today when it is time for new tires.

“When people were buying snow tires I was able to sell them recaps for under $30,” Duane remarks.

The long-time Kiester businessman notes that full tuneups are also a thing of the past.

“I used to replace a lot of points, plugs and condensers back in the day,” Duane comments. “That’s all changed now.”

He says that like other products that are now replaced instead of fixed, parts of cars are like that also.

“We used to repack wheel bearings,” Duane says. “Now we replace them.”

Duane actually sold his store and left Kiester for about four years or so.

“It was 1984 and I took a job as an assistant manager at a Bauer Built store in Sioux City, Iowa,” Duane remembers. “After a couple of years they closed that store and moved me to a Bauer Built in Mason City, Iowa.”

Duane shares he did not stay in Mason City for very long.

“I took a job with Christenson Tire and Auto Service in Waseca,” he comments. “They are still in business today. It was a real good place to work and I stayed there for a couple of years before coming back to Kiester and buying back the business I had sold.”

Reflecting on his time away from Kiester, Duane explains that working at other places exposed him to some newer technologies.

“I ended up purchasing a computerized wheel balance and a computerized wheel alignment machine,” he says. “Those machines have been a good addition to my business. Tires cost a lot and it is important to make sure the tires are properly balanced and that the vehicle’s alignment is correct so that they wear properly.”

There is another possible change that could be coming to Duane’s business sometime in the future.

One of Duane’s children, Luke has been working with his father at the business, so who knows, maybe Duane’s Felco could possibly remain in the family when Duane is ready to retire – something Duane isn’t really considering at this time.

“I really didn’t enjoy school,” Luke, a 2022 United South Central graduate, says.

“College wasn’t really my thing either and after attending a semester at NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College) in Mason City, I came home and began working here and I enjoy it.”

Both Duane and Luke enjoy the charm that a small-town shop provides. It’s a place where the local banker will stop in to make an appointment for his vehicle only to have the conversation turn to talking about how the local high school teams are doing in sports.

There is also another regular visitor to the station, someone who will stop in to play a game of dice when Duane and Luke are ready for a break.

“Steve Cogley and I made up this dice game,” Duane says smiling. “It doesn’t take long to play and provides some fun during the day. Luke seems to be the better player lately.”

In addition to tires and wheel alignments, Duane’s Felco also works on brakes, struts, shocks, tie rods and anything involved with the vehicle’s suspension system.

“We replace belts and alternators, do oil changes and radiator flushes and overall general maintenance items,” Duane says. “We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and we stay open during the noon hour.”

He enjoys the relationships and trust he has built with his customers over the years.

“Many people want to know what I would do in regards to fixing their vehicle,” Duane comments. “I tell them, ‘If it was my vehicle, this is what I would do. But you do what you want.'”

Duane says the enjoyment he gets from his work is why he is not in any hurry to put his tools away for the last time.

“So many people, when they go to work, hate their job but they need the income,” Duane concludes. “If you can go home after work and feel like you helped someone out – that you made somebody’s day go better – that’s a great feeling.”