Liberty Fuel owners say community support and Line 5 construction crews have helped their local business grow
MARENGO, Wis. — Sometimes a good business idea starts with a simple question: What does the community need?
For Page Rosenlund, one answer was a convenient place where neighbors could fill up the gas tank, grab a hot meal, pick up everyday necessities and get back home without making a long trip into town.
“People always ask us, ‘Why did you buy a gas station?’” Rosenlund said. “And I tell them if we can save somebody a 45-minute trip into town and back, and they can get what they need here, then they can go back home. We feel like that's why we're here.”
Rosenlund and his business partner purchased the former Jack’s Store in Marengo on Jan. 1, 2026. Since then, the business has been rebranded as Liberty Fuel, selling Marathon gasoline along with hot and cold food, coffee and beverages, snacks, everyday essentials and, increasingly, the things customers ask them to carry.
The response, Rosenlund said, has exceeded expectations.
“The business has been phenomenal. We couldn't be more happy with the support of the community,” he said. “We brought in a whole range of hot food options, and it’s just been growing and expanding. We run out of merchandise, and we order it the next week, and we double our order, and we run out again.”
That growth can be measured in more than sandwiches and cups of coffee.
When the store opened under its new ownership, it employed five people. Over this year’s construction and tourist season, Liberty Fuel grew to 20 employees, a fourfold increase as the owners have expanded products and services to meet customer demand.
Many of those customers have come from a temporary but sizable new group of neighbors: the men and women building the Line 5 Wisconsin Segment Relocation Project.
TOP PHOTO: Liberty Fuel in Marengo is serving up a growing business. ABOVE: Pipeline construction crews line up for hot to-go items, fill up with fuel and shared conversations as this local business shows what great hospitality looks like in northern Wisconsin.
Construction crews become customers
Across northern Wisconsin, hundreds of pipeline construction workers have spent much of 2026 building a new 41-mile section of Line 5 around the Bad River Reservation. Wisconsin-based Michels is the project's contractor, with the work employing skilled union workers and supporting local and Wisconsin subcontractors. Earlier this year, more than 700 workers, including construction, inspection, environmental, safety and cultural-resource personnel, were working in the field.
For businesses such as Liberty Fuel, those workers also mean customers walking through the front door.
“The guys and gals come in and I love visiting with them, hearing their stories,” Rosenlund said. “They're all so pleasant. We welcome it, we're happy they're here and it's just been continuing to get busier every week.”
The relationship is about more than the morning rush or lunch business, he added.
“I think the impact this project has on the community as a whole, overall, it's a huge benefit,” Rosenlund said. “They're here just trying to do their job and we're just here to help make their day a little better.”
It is the kind of economic activity anticipated before construction began. Project planning projected hundreds of union construction jobs and millions of dollars in construction-related spending across Ashland, Bayfield and Iron counties.
For Rosenlund, however, the impact isn't an economic projection. It's something he sees across the counter.
“We couldn't be more happy with the support of the community, and the pipeline influx and business has just been icing on the cake.”
CAPTION: Business partners and owners Clark and Page welcome the influx of customers as they launch their business in Marengo.Line 5 project moves toward completion
The busy construction season that helped bring those new customers to businesses such as Liberty Fuel is now moving into its later stages.
The latest project update puts construction at over 85% complete, with work progressing along the route and remaining on schedule.
The Line 5 Wisconsin Segment Relocation Project is building approximately 41 miles of new pipeline around the Bad River Reservation to replace approximately 12 miles of the existing Line 5 that currently crosses the Reservation. Construction began earlier this year after final state and federal permits were received.
The construction activity won't last forever. But for Rosenlund and Liberty Fuel, the goal is to build a business that's here for the long haul.
That's why the focus remains on the people who live nearby, the travelers passing through and whoever happens to come through the door looking for a cup of coffee, something for lunch or an item that saves them a drive into town.
For a small business in a small northern Wisconsin community, Rosenlund sees opportunity in being useful to your neighbors.
And this year, there have been quite a few more neighbors to serve.
