(December 16, 2008)—Fikes Wholesale, Inc a Central Texas based company announced Tuesday its plans to relocate it headquarters building to Temple's recently rebranded industrial parks.

The 56-year old Temple-based fuel distributor plans to build a new, 19.5 acre headquarters in Temple’s Airport Park at Central Pointe, citing its confidence in the rebranded district.

The 2-story, 42,000 sq. ft. building is expected to break ground in the spring of 2009 with completion anticipated by the fall of 2010.

In addition to its fuel distributorship for Shell, Exxon/Mobil, Chevron/ Texaco and Valero, Fikes currently operates CEFCO Convenience Stores, a chain of 125 stores located in Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.

The chain employs approximately 1500 people, including more than 1000 in Texas alone.

"Fikes Wholesale is a true success story for Temple and our rapidly-expanding Central Pointe parks," Temple Economic Development Corporation president Lee Peterson said.

In addition to convenience chain and fuel distributorship, Fikes Wholesale, Inc. is also the parent company of Fleet Fuel, a proprietary fuel credit card company; Cord Financial Services, an ATM provider with several thousand ATM's across the United States; and Sunbelt Ice Company, a manufacturer and distributor of ice throughout Central Texas.

The latest addition to the Fikes Wholesale, Inc. family of companies is JF Air Traffic, a charter jet service based at Temple's Draughon-Miller Airport.

"By building in our Airport Park, Fikes has shown their commitment to the community and to securing future jobs for our region," said Paterson

President and CEO of Fikes Wholesale, Inc., James Fikes calls the relocation to Airport Park at Central Pointe an opportunity in sync with his company’s next phase of growth.

"Partnering with the TEDC and the City of Temple has been a win-win situation for all involved, and we simply could not be any more delighted with the prospects that lie ahead," said Fikes.