Benicia Losing Another Retailer

While all eyes have been focused on the , a Benicia Industrial Park building supply store has decided to leave town.

has decided to pull the plug on its Benicia operations after agreeing to sell its industrial park land to Ponder Environmental Services, Inc. for an undisclosed amount of money.

In a letter to customers announcing the closure, owner Gene Dolan, said Benicia accounts will be handled from the company’s Concord and Pinole locations.

“I am sorry for the inconveniences this move might cause, but I am confident that in the long run, with larger inventories and direct access to our door, window and warehouse services, we will be better able to serve you,” said Dolan in the letter.

According to store manager Andy Dickerson, the final deal was struck about 2 weeks ago.  Asked when the Benicia store will officially close, Dickerson said, “We’re looking at three to four weeks.” 

Ponder performs a variety of tasks often associated with oil refinery work such as storage tank cleaning, confined space rescue and waste transportation and hazardous waste disposal.

Ponder is currently based in Fairfield.  It is unknown at this time if Ponder is planning to close their Fairfield operations or if this move is an expansion.  It is also unknown how many new jobs will come to Benicia as a result of the Ponder move.

Companies that do contract work in the oil refineries will hire workers based on the needs of particular jobs.  The number of workers depends on the size and complexity of each particular contract. 

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If there’s something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor JB Davis at 707-628-0051 or email him at benicia@patch.com.