Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MOLO, Robert E.
MOLO, Robert E. (Dubuque, IA, Sept. 20, 1928--Dubuque, IA, Dec. 23, 1998). Molo, credited with the growth of one of Dubuque's oldest businesses, became the president of the Molo Companies in 1971 upon the death of his father, Harold. (1)
The Molo Companies date to 1870 with LINEHAN & MOLO, a central heating business and coal delivery operation was started by William S. MOLO, Bob Molo's grandfather. Linehan and Molo became a plumbing and heating business with soft water service. The MOLO SAND AND GRAVEL COMPANY branch of the business opened in 1887. Molo Oil Company opened in 1928. A fourth branch of the company deals in ready-mix concrete. (2)
The company without the concrete interest, a stable but not booming enterprise, became by 1989 a thirty million dollar enterprise employing two hundred people in Dubuque and the surrounding region. Between 1983 and 1989 the number of service stations supplied with oil and gas rose from 20 to 150. The region serviced stretched from Black River Falls, Wisconsin to Clinton, Iowa. Molo Companies owned nine Big 10 Mart convenience stores in and around Dubuque, a full-service car wash in Dubuque and a Big 10 Mart cafe in Lowden, Iowa. (3)
A civic-minded businessman, Molo served in many capacities including the board of incorporators and president of the WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Board of Education and a member of the school's board of trustees. He served on the board of directors for CLARKE COLLEGE, AMERICAN TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK and the DUBUQUE BOYS' CLUB and was past president and former member of Padre Pio Board of Directors of STONEHILL CARE CENTER.
He received two prestigious awards--the Wahlert Crystal Eagle Award and the Boys' Club Man Behind the Boy Award. (4)
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Source:
1. Riddell, Amy. "Molo Oils the Wheels of Progress, Telegraph Herald, January 26, 1987, p. 14
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Obituaries. Telegraph Herald, December 27, 1998, p. 42
