A Ricker’s gas station and convenience store under construction in Columbus is on track to open next month.
The store, located at 1711 25th St., plans to hire 15 to 20 employees and will look similar to the Ricker’s on U.S. 31 in Edinburgh, said Travis Smith, real estate manager for the company. It will be the third of four Ricker’s stations planned in the Columbus area and the company’s 56th store in Indiana, Smith said.
The company also has a Bartholomew County location at West County Road 450S in Ogilville, just off Interstate 65 at the State Road 58 exit.
Ricker’s employs 850 people across the state and was founded by Jay and Nancy Ricker from Middletown in 1979, according to the company’s website.
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Construction on the 4,000-square-foot store in Columbus began in October.
It will offer customers a chance to fill up gasoline at nine fuel pumps when it opens. The company also is refurbishing a former Frisch’s Big Boy sign at the site that will display the Ricker’s logo and gas prices.
“It’s a unique sign and there’s an identical one in Anderson near our office,” Smith said. “We thought it’d be a good fit.”
The Anderson-based company decided to build on the 25th Street site due to the population density around the store, its close proximity to Columbus North High School, and ease of access getting in and out of the facility, Smith said.
The store will hire 10 full-time employees with the remaining individuals being part-time.
Columbus City Council approved a separate Ricker’s gas station and convenience store on the southeast corner of the intersection of Jonathan Moore Pike and Westwood Boulevard in July.
Jeff Bergman, planning director for the city-county planning department, said officials are currently processing the company’s site-plan materials, which should be the final required approval involving the planning department.
Construction will begin on the west side location in February with a targeted opening date in the summer, Smith said.
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Ricker’s, 1711 25th St., will open in February. The convenience store and gas station will be the company’s third in the Columbus area, with a fourth one planned for summer.
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