LEESBURG – The renovated Freedom Express on Ind. 15 in Leesburg will hold its grand opening Nov. 8. The station has been expanded from a 500-square-foot convenience store with two pumping positions to a 2,800-square-foot store with eight pump sites. To make room for the expansion the old station was demolished and a former Farmers State Bank was uprooted and moved out of the way. The bank building will serve as the new headquarters for Freedom Oil, said company managing member Greg Cobb. Work was conducted in the summer, though Cobb noted the expansion was planned “for some time.” “You pretty much have to grow or get out of the business,” he remarked. The station held a soft opening Oct. 18 and business has been “decent” since then, he sad. “It’s taken off kind of as we expected; we could always do better,” Cobb said. The new convenience store features made-to-order and hot and ready Noble Roman’s pizza, and Cobb noted the station is more environmentally friendly, with features like LED lights and high-efficiency air conditioning. “We’ve drastically reduced our carbon footprint,” he said. The grand opening Nov. 8 will feature giveaways, a live remote broadcast and an appearance by Terrin Thomas, Miss Indiana 2013, from 2 to 6 p.m. Hours for the station are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the Noble Roman’s open until 8 p.m. The pumps operate 24 hours.
