New CountryMark station to host grand opening Saturday

The CountryMark gas station is coming to the community and will be hosting its grand opening Saturday. CountryMark will now be located at the previous location of the Citgo gas station.

In a community that prides itself in buying local, a re-branded fuel station on Greencastle's south side is touting its Hoosier and Midwestern ties.

The CountryMark station at 1207 S. Bloomington St., next door to Papa John's, will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 9.

Jason Hine, retail manager for Co-Alliance (a CountryMark member co-operative), is enthusiastic about the newly branded fuel station.

"A lot of significant improvements have been made at the site," said Hine. "A new red and black CountryMark canopy, fresh paint, new digital signs and an updated car wash, just to name a few. Public reaction has been great thus far, and we're doing all we can to prepare for our June 9 grand opening -- which we are really excited about."

The grand opening will include a live radio remote from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., free slices of Papa John's pizza from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and free fountain drinks and coffee.

The four fuel dispensers and 16 nozzles at the station feature CountryMark PLUS 87 octane gasoline as well as CountryMark's Premium Diesel-R.

The convenience store has an ATM and sells fountain pop soft drinks. Major credit cards are accepted, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

The convenience store can be reached at 653-4727. Store hours are from 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.

CountryMark is Indiana's only American-owned oil exploration, production, refining and marketing company. Refining only local crude oil from Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, CountryMark sells only American fuel.

The corporate headquarters is in Indianapolis, with the refinery in Mount Vernon.

Fuel terminals are located in Mount Vernon, Switz City, Jolietville and Peru, as well as Henderson, Ky. CountryMark Energy Resources is located in Evansville.

The largest CountryMark oil well was discovered nearby in Terre Haute a little over a year ago.

CountryMark employs 412 individuals, mostly in southwestern Indiana, and this contributes $36 million in wages and benefits to the state's economy.

Co-Alliance, a familiar name in the local farming community, is CountryMark's largest shareholder.