D.B. “Rhiny” Reinhart was born May 13^th, 1920 in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. He grew up during difficult depression years helping his parents Earl and Bessie operate a small Shell Lake hotel. Following World War II, Rhiny took a job at the Rice Lake Grocery Company. Within a year he was promoted to sales manager.

In 1956, he came to La Crosse where he and partner Dave Nudd purchased a small struggling food wholesale company, the Gateway Grocery Company. In one year, with innovation and a desire to serve their customers, they tripled the Gateway’s annual volume to $10 million. In 1979, Rhiny bought out his partner and became Gateway’s sole owner.

Over the course of 30 years, Rhiny launched or purchased dozen of companies and expanded warehouse facilities to several million square feet. He expanded Gateway’s trade area to parts of nine states. In Minneapolis he created the Rainbow Foods chain, and later he built Festival Foods Stores throughout the United States. In La Crosse he was instrumental in the start of the Kwik Trip Stores, Reinhart Institutional Foods, the Radisson La Crosse Hotel, and the La Crosse Catbirds basketball team.

In 1989, Rhiny sold Gateway Foods and his share in Kwik Trip. At the same time, he formed Reinhart Companies, a holding company that operates Reinhart Food Service, several supermarkets, and numerous investments companies.

Rhiny’s deep commitment for the La Crosse community has been demonstrated with involvement or financial support to numerous civic groups including the Boy Scouts, Chileda, the Franciscan Health System, the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, WWTC, Special Olympics, and many others. As President of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce in the mid 1960’s, he was instrumental in bringing the national award of “All American City” to La Crosse.

The peak of Rhiny’s many civic, state and national awards was his 1989 induction to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. The award is presented annually to men and women who have overcome personal hardships to succeed through hard work and integrity. The award exemplifies the heroes of a famous 19^th century novel and serves as role models for the nation’s young people.



He is a devoted member of Blessed Sacrament Church and has been an exceptionally strong supporter of the Catholic grade school system, Aquinas High School and Viterbo College. Rhiny obtains his greatest joys in life from his family. He and his wife Marge have four married children and nine grandchildren. Rhiny is extremely proud that the Reinhart Companies is a family business.