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Notable Iowa Families & Companies

The Lamberti Family

The Italian-immigrant coal miner's family that grew a Des Moines corner store into Ankeny's Fortune 500 pizza-and-fuel giant, Casey's.

Founded1968
FieldConvenience stores & fuel
HomeAnkeny, Iowa
TodayFortune 500 (NASDAQ: CASY), ~2,950 stores in 19 states, headquartered in Ankeny
The story

How it began

The family's Iowa story begins in 1935, when Domenic Lamberti — an Italian immigrant and former coal miner — opened a coal-and-ice-delivery business on the north side of Des Moines, at Broadway and NE 14th Street.

His son Donald F. Lamberti left his accounting studies at Drake University in 1960 to run the store when his father fell ill. In 1967 Kurvin C. Fish — the salesman who sold Lamberti his gasoline — persuaded him to buy an Ames-area oil company with four Square Deal service stations, and the first Casey's store opened in Boone, Iowa, in 1968.

What they built

What they built

By the numbers

Wealth & scale

1968, BooneFirst store
~2,950Stores, 2026
19States
NASDAQ: CASYTicker

Casey's is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company (NASDAQ: CASY); its financials are public in SEC filings. The Lamberti family's personal holdings are not separately disclosed.

Legacy

Legacy & philanthropy

From a single Boone store in 1968, Casey's grew into a Fortune 500 company and a fixture of small-town Iowa and the Midwest. Its headquarters anchor Ankeny's business community, and its kitchens have made it one of the country's biggest pizza sellers.

The people

Notable family members

Where you'll see the name

Named for the family

Casey's General Stores — headquartered in Ankeny
FAQ

Common questions

Where is Casey's based?

Casey's is based in Ankeny, Iowa. Fortune 500 (NASDAQ: CASY), ~2,950 stores in 19 states, headquartered in Ankeny

When was Casey's founded?

1968.

Who is behind Casey's?

Domenic Lamberti — Italian immigrant and former coal miner; started the family's Des Moines store (1935)

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Sources

Where these facts come from

This profile presents only publicly reported facts, drawn from the sources above. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the family or its companies.

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