11 Jun Bellevue Goodwill Grand Opening Set June 18

The Grand Opening of the Bellevue community’s first Goodwill store and Career Solutions Center will be celebrated on Thursday, June 18, with a multiple-employer job fair, a ribbon-cutting and numerous door prizes.

The facility, which also includes a covered, drive-through Donations Express Center, is located at 7663 U.S. Highway 70 South. Events get under way at 8 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Bellevue Harpeth Chamber of Commerce. The store and donations area will open at 8:15 a.m., and the Career Solutions center will begin an open house at that time.

The 35,091-square-foot building, which formerly housed a Toys “R” Us store, has been completely remodeled. The store’s 17,000 square-foot sales floor is the second largest of the 36 stores in Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee’s 48-county territory.

The store will sell gently used clothing, shoes, books, furniture and household items, including many name brands, at deeply discounted prices. Sales fund Goodwill’s mission of providing job training and employment opportunities in the community for people who are struggling to find work.

Free services offered at the Goodwill Career Solutions center will include career assessment and evaluation, career counseling and planning, job readiness training, digital literacy, resume writing, online job search, retail training and more.

“We are excited about serving individuals and businesses in the Bellevue community,” said Betty Johnson, Goodwill’s vice president and chief people officer. “Glenn Brown, the career Counselor for Career Solutions in Bellevue, is already serving candidates, and potentially, nine have jobs pending. This is all before our doors are open.

“We look forward to developing partnerships with employers, non-profit organizations, and city leaders to ensure that everyone who wants a job has access to free job training and job placement services,” Johnson added.

In 2014, Goodwill assisted 28,159 people at its 29 Career Solutions centers in Middle and West Tennessee. Of those, 9,558 landed jobs. Last year, the other Goodwill Career Solutions centers in Davidson County served 8,941 people and helped 3,211  land jobs.

There are two other Goodwill facilities in Bellevue — both donation sites. One is at 247 Old Hickory Blvd., the other is at 8056 Highway 100 in the Shoppes on the Harpeth.

Like other Goodwill Career Solutions centers, the one in Bellevue will host frequent job fairs. The first will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Grand Opening day. Participating employers will include Guardian Moving, Express Professionals, Safe Harbor, Automated Health Systems, True Blue Staffing, The Home Depot, McDonald’s, SMS, Kroger, Walmart, Industrial Staffing and Microtel. These employers seek to fill at least 150 positions. Openings include clerical, cashier, forklift, general labor, maintenance, janitorial, housekeeping, line cooks, stockers, pickers/packers and more, with pay rates varying by employer but ranging up to $13.20 per hour.

JOB FAIR FOR AT LEAST 12 EMPLOYERS     

When: Thursday, June 18, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Goodwill Career Solutions, 7663 U.S. Highway 70 South, Nashville, Tenn.

Representatives from these companies will be on site and interviews are possible, so job-seekers should dress for success. Job candidates are encouraged to bring a resume, photo ID, Social Security card or birth certificate.

Shoppers can register to win an iPad mini in the store on June 18. Goodwill tote bags will be given to the first 500 shoppers starting that day, and 20 Goodwill gift cards will be given out through the weekend. The first 50 donors at the donation center will receive a free copy of recording artist Kristian Bush’s new solo album, “Southern Gravity.”

Hours at the new store and donations area will be 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sundays. The store’s phone number is (615) 981-8810. The new Goodwill Career Solutions center will be open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, and the center can be reached at (615) 981-8800.

About Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.
For more than 55 years Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has provided job training and job placement free of charge to people with disabilities or other barriers to employment through the sale of donated items. In 2014, Goodwill served 28,159 people in Middle and West Tennessee and placed 9.558 people in jobs. More information about Goodwill’s Career Solutions, retail stores and donation centers can be obtained online at  www.giveit2goodwill.org or by calling 1-800-545-9231.