Iowa State Founder Revives His Family's 1910 Des Moines Fuel Legacy With Dock-Side Truck Fueling

DES MOINES, Iowa - Rezul -- More than a century after Joseph Muelhaupt bought Des Moines Ice and Fuel Co. and sent horse-drawn wagons of ice across the city, his great-great-grandson is delivering fuel in Des Moines again.

GasNow Inc., founded in November 2024 by Jacque-Joseph "Joseph" Muelhaupt and Alexander "Xander" Parkhill, stations a commercial diesel fueling truck at warehouses and distribution centers. Visiting trucks fuel during loading and unloading, so drivers skip the truck-stop detour and leave ready for their next run. Every fill is logged with the vehicle, site, gallons and completion time.

GasNow was selected for Cohort 18 of the ISU Startup Factory, Iowa State University's 18-week incubator run by the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, and pitched at the program's Demo Day. The company reports more than 300 registered users and more than 1,000 gallons delivered, and Muelhaupt's videos about the business have drawn more than 5 million views on TikTok.

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"My family has been moving ice and fuel around Des Moines since 1910," Muelhaupt said. "Truck drivers lose time every day pulling off the highway to fuel. We bring the fuel to the dock where they are already parked."

The Muelhaupt family history in the city runs deep. The Des Moines Ice Company harvested ice around the island that became Riverview Amusement Park, which opened in 1915 with Joseph Muelhaupt among its original partners. The business later became Des Moines Cold Storage, which Muelhaupt's grandfather, Joseph Daniel Muelhaupt, owned for 51 years. Parkhill's great-grandfather, Russell E. Johnson Jr., founded the Medicap Pharmacy franchise company.

GasNow serves the Des Moines metro and Central Iowa, including Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Altoona and Grimes. Fleets and facilities can request a pilot at https://gasnowinc.com.

About GasNow
GasNow Inc. is a Des Moines fuel-delivery company providing on-site commercial diesel fueling at warehouses and distribution centers. Learn more at https://gasnowinc.com.