ANDERSON — When Jay and Nancy Ricker first came to the Anderson area, there was no such thing as a Ricker’s Pop, and the familiar red-and-blue convenience store logo didn’t exist.

The couple had just started their entrepreneurial venture in 1979, buying a small Middletown gas station that offered gasoline and not much else. It was a far cry from the executive world of Shell Oil that Jay Ricker had just stepped out of, but the Rickers wanted more stability for their young family, which consisted of 2-year-old and 6-week-old children.

“We moved five times in seven years (with Shell),” Nancy Ricker said. “We just decided we didn’t want that for our children. Jay went from wearing suits and ties to putting on overalls.”

The couple who had met growing up in Clinton County couldn’t have known then, but the small gas station they bought in Middletown was the beginning of a convenience store chain that would give the Rickers a long and prosperous career in Anderson and propel them to give back to the community that had supported them.

For their community efforts since their arrival in east central Indiana in 1979, the Rickers will receive the Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America’s 2009 Distinguished Citizen Award at a dinner tonight at the Anderson Country Club.

According to the Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America, the award is presented annually to an individual who has practiced “selfless and tireless acts of service to this community” and shown qualities of leadership, dedication and willingness to improve the lives of those around them.



Avid community supporters

Besides creating a well-known convenience store chain that has stores dotting the state from Fort Wayne to Mooresville, the Rickers have established their headquarters in a historic building in downtown Anderson and use the space to work toward many community projects, including donating money, products and sponsorships to local charities, Little Leagues, soccer leagues and post-prom events. The Rickers also are avid supporters of Anderson’s historic Paramount Theatre and the Anderson Symphony Orchestra.

Nancy Ricker serves on the local Habitat for Humanity Board, and the couple has been the majority contributor to several Habitat houses. Jay Ricker has served on various community boards as well.

“I think it’s incumbent upon people who’ve been successful to give back to their community,” Jay Ricker said. “This community has had a history of couples giving back to their community. We’re kind of following in the footsteps of others in this community.

“We all tend to dwell on the negative sometimes, but we’ve always had strong individuals in this community.”

Nancy Ricker said it only made sense for the couple to give back to the Anderson community.

“We’ve made our money in this community,” she said. “This has been our home since the late ’70s.”

Not only are the Rickers residents of the community, they also have become a household name. Their convenience stores and Ricker’s Pops are somewhat of a local pastime, and they have 700 employees around the state.



Continued growth

Last week, Jay Ricker was named the chairman of the National Association of Convenience Stores, which oversees 144,000 stores, and he has served as president of both the Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association and the BP Amoco Marketers Association. The couple has won a local entrepreneurial award and other statewide awards for their efforts.

Nancy Ricker said she found out about the Boy Scouts’ Distinguished Citizen Award when last year’s recipient called her.

“I think there are many, many deserving people people in this community,” she said.

The Rickers said they couldn’t have built such a strong business and been able to give back to the community without the help of their employees. From fielding questions on the controversial topic of gas prices to being trained so Ricker’s stores can serve as Safe Havens, the employees also have put their lives into the business.

“You can’t tell people to do things like that,” Jay Ricker said. “They have to want to do it.”

Ricker’s employees work in 49 stores, and Ricker’s supplies gasoline to another 60 stores across the state. The first store the Rickers built was in Lapel, which continues to be a high-performing store, they said.

Jay Ricker said the chain of convenience stores would continue to grow as long as business demanded it. The Rickers’ son, Quinn, now has entered the business and will carry on the company in the next generation.

“I think a vibrant business has to keep growing,” Jay Ricker said. “We’ll still continue to be growing where it makes sense.”

In the meantime, the Rickers plan to continue giving of their time and money to help the community they call home.

“So many people deservedly need money for a variety of projects,” Jay Ricker said. “Anybody who runs a business needs to remember where they came from.”

Contact Aleasha Sandley: 640-4805, aleasha.sandley@heraldbulletin.com.



Past recipients

Past recipients of the Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award include:

* Larry Contos

* Carl and Betty Erskine

* Thomas McMahan

* Robert Reardon

* Joe Cook

* John Wilson

* William Hardacre

* Jim and Marilyn Ault

* Mark Lawler

* Bobbette Snyder

* Matilda Barber

* Robert Nicholson

* John and Bernadine Mustin

* John May

* Keith Pitcher

* Jeanne Lee

* Jeff Jenness

* Robert Pensec