MOUNT VERNON — A growing business, the need for more space, and a gentle hint from his wife were the catalysts Jason Ewers needed to look for another location for his communication services business. His search led him to 301 Columbus Road, the site of the former Rumpke recycling center.
“I was working out of my home. My operations manager was working out of his home. I needed to hire an office person to help out, so we decided to move,” he explained.
Ewers started Ewers Utility Services, which handles outside communication services for companies such as ATT and American Electric Power, nearly 11 years ago with himself and three others. Now the business has 30 employees.
“We set poles, build cable, and do underground facility work,” he said. “In the last four years, we’ve expanded and grown and put more people on. It’s humbling, it’s been a great experience and a dream come true to have my own business. But I couldn’t do it without my employees.”
Initially, he thought of buying property next to his home on Springwater Drive for his growing business. His wife suggested that might not be the best solution.
Rumpke closed the recycling center in December 2016. Ewers bought the building in December 2017 and moved in this past spring. A coat of paint spruced up the outside, with more painting to come, and renovations gave the inside a new look.
“We have about 1,500 square feet of office space in the front. We have three offices, two restrooms, a conference room, lobby and kitchen,” he said, adding that with the building at the back of the lot, there is still plenty of room for storage. “We’ll use that back part of the garage to do [truck] maintenance and things of that nature.”
Ewers said the building is “definitely a blessing.” He hopes that moving into the once-vacant building will help attract more business to that part of town.
