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- ). President, Molo Companies. 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.
The Molo Companies date to 1870 with Linehan and Molo, a central heating business and coal delivery operation started by William S. MOLO, Bob Molo's grandfather. Linehan and Molo is now a plumbing and heating business with soft water service. The Molo Sand and Gravel branch of the business opened in 1887. Molo Oil Company opened in 1927. A fourth branch of the company deals in ready-mix concrete.
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.
A civic-minded businessman, Molo has served in many capacities including the presidency of the WAHLERT HIGH SCHOOL Board of Education and as a member of the board of trustees for CLARKE COLLEGE, AMERICAN TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK and the DUBUQUE BOYS' CLUB.