Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – The search for a general manager of the upcoming Ridge Athletics Center is now underway.

During Wednesday’s Advertising and Promotion Commission meeting, the executive director of the commission, Craig Rickert, provided updates on the center’s construction and hiring of staff.

Rickert said several people had already applied for the general manager position, including some from Jonesboro and some affiliated with The Sports Facilities Companies, which is managing the center.

The goal is to have the general manager selected by mid-January, Rickert said.

“It’s a pretty aggressive goal,” he said. “People are primed and ready to move, so we want to have that person in there because, at the end of January, there’s a conference in Columbus, OH, that we want this person to go to start meeting people throughout the industry and making those connections.”

He added that the goal was to have a director of operations, a marketing director, a director of business development, and a finance director hired by June.

He also provided a construction update, saying that wall installation for the main eight-court gym was about 80% complete. Crews would begin installing steel beams next week.

Crews would soon begin pouring concrete walls for the event center, Rickert said. The building’s completion is estimated for the first quarter of 2027.

The 200,000-square-foot complex, to be located on Race Street, will feature gyms to house courts for sports such as basketball, volleyball, and pickleball.

A 50-meter pool with diving boards and a recreational warm-up/cool-down pool will be installed. The center’s second story will have viewing areas for the courts and pool, with 1,245 spectator seats dedicated to the 50-meter pool.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the complex in April. It is projected to cost $74.6 million.