A new safety supply store has opened in Bettendorf and it shows that the “entrepreneurial spirit” is alive and well in the Quad Cities.
That’s the word from City of Bettendorf officials and business advocates who helped celebrate the opening of the RILCO Safety Supply store at 2611 State St. A Quad Cities Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday, Oct. 20, to welcome the store, which also opened for business on Thursday.
The RILCO Safety Supply store employs five people and is in a 25,000-square-foot facility, said Drew Lawrence, co-CEO of the family of RILCO companies, who was at the ceremony.
“A lot of our employees are from Bettendorf. We think it’s going to be a great place to do business,” he added.
Mr. Lawrence also thanked the RILCO employees and contractors for all the hard work to get the store open in a relatively short time. He added that construction started on the business’ building in January.
Around 50 people attended the ribbon-cutting. Before the ceremony, Scott Nauman, Bettendorf mayor pro-tem and member of the city council, said he was pleased to see another business open in the community.
“This shows you that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the Quad Cities. … A company like RILCO makes a huge difference in the community,” he added.
RILCO Safety Supply offers a complete, premium full-line of head-to-toe safety equipment, according to the company’s website.
Some of the safety items on display Thursday opening included clothing, gloves, helmets, eye protection, safety tags, caution tape, “Danger High Voltage” signs and much more.
The store is part of a family of RILCO companies. For instance, RILCO Lubricants & Services has locations in Rock Island, Moline, Pella, Peoria and two in the Chicago area.
RILCO started as Rock Island Fuels Company in 1927. Steve Wagner purchased the company in 1927 and began operations as Rock Island Lubricants or RILCO, according to the company website.
The company has grown to be one of Shell Oil’s largest national wholesalers. The company’s growing product line includes lubricants, chemicals, metal working fluids and much more.
For more information on the safety supply company, go to rilcosafety.com.
