Rural King hiring staff for first Mississippi store
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Rural King is a farming and ranch supply store coming to Columbus.
On May 28, the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library hosted a job fair for full-time and part-time positions.
This store has been in the works for a couple of years now, and city officials say it offers a wide variety for shoppers around the region and provides more opportunities for Columbus.
For years, the old K-Mart building in Columbus has been empty, but come September, it will be home to the first Rural King in Mississippi.
“I, for one, cannot stand to see an empty building that’s huge in size and not being utilized,” said Carrie Martin, director of the Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. “So I think it’ll be great. The fewer empty buildings, the better. And not only that, they have been doing some construction and making it look customized like I would imagine Rural King does, and that’s what it takes for a business to succeed.”
Store Manager Richard Medina said Rural King is here to serve the community’s needs in any way they can.
“The economic future is going to be bright,” Medina said. “We’re the first ones here. We’re a big, big store. We’re very similar to any farm and ranch store they’ve been in. But it’s a new concept to this community. It will provide about 75 to 80 new jobs in the community.”
Carrie Martin is the Director of the Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce.
She said this development will benefit local people and other businesses.
“Whether it be locals getting a local job, spending money, having money to spend, you know, that affects everybody,” Martin said. “And we might even get some people coming from out of town. That means (they’re) not only spending money here, but it also means (they’re) maybe even renting houses (and) buying houses. So it’s good all around.”
Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin said attracting businesses like Rural King into the city is good all around, especially for the tax base, tourism, housing, and job opportunities.
The Golden Triangle Development LINK also provided technical assistance and tax incentives to help.
“I hope that it’ll bring in a lot of shoppers from around the region,” Gaskin said. “Because when you come in and a business is buying a spot like that, there’s usually some work that needs to be done. There’s some investment. So to give them a little tax relief while they’re working on that, it is a great way to attract other businesses in as well.”
Martin said she has seen Rural King dive full force into the community.
“And that’s what it takes for a business to succeed. You do need to be a community supporter,” Martin said.
Mayor Gaskin said he believes more businesses will take a closer look at the city of Columbus.
