RIPON — Thirty Ripon residents have jobs this week thanks to the opening of the new Dollar General Market in Ripon’s Towne Square Shopping Center at West Main Street and Wilma Avenue.

Store manager Jeff Van Horn, a Ripon resident of five years, said he hired some 80 to 85 percent of his staff from the surrounding community in every phase of the operation from three in administration to checkers, stock clerks and maintenance staff.

“We’re creating jobs within our own community – that’s our philosophy,” he said with that statement echoed by district manager Moe Alaoui who has been working at the facility to guide and ensure a smooth opening.

The store manager most recently worked for Smart & Final in Modesto. Before that he was employed by Wal-Mart for some 16 years.  He and his wife have one daughter, Ally, 13, in the eighth grade at Colony Oak School in Ripon and a son, Dillon, 16, a sophomore at Ripon High School.

He explained that he doesn’t have any hobbies to speak of other than spending time at the river with his family – admittedly a very important part of his life.

Van Horn said the grand opening will be on April 6 when shoppers are going to be given gifts for visiting the new store that will include redeemable coupons.

Tess Tuller, who was leading a contract team to stock the facility, said that she worked for Dollar General for years and was ultimately a store manager. She said the history of the business is on DG.com for all to see.

She said Dollar General was first located in the Southern States and then it moved up the East Coast east of the Mississippi River, later moving to the Rockies.  Now 35 stores are planned for the Central Valley in California.

In addition to the Ripon location, one store is planned in Manteca on North Main Street in the former Walgreens Drug Store, four more in the former Centro-Mart markets in Stockton, three in Bakersfield that have opened already, one in Merced and one in Modesto.  A total of six in California are opening now.

Daily store hours are listed as 7 a.m. until 12 midnight.