Facilities Include Career Solutions Center; Ceremonies, Door Prizes Planned

COLUMBIA, Tenn. — Area residents are invited to help Goodwill celebrate the Grand Opening of its new store in Columbia on Thursday, July 21, with a ribbon-cutting and door prizes.

The free-standing building is at 405 S. James Campbell Blvd. It replaces the Neeley’s Mill site at 1412 Trotwood Ave., which Goodwill has occupied for about a decade and which will close just before the new facility opens.

“We are thrilled to present this new store for our Maury County-area customers,” said Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee President and CEO Matthew Bourlakas. “Besides improving the shopping and donation experience, the new facility will also allow Goodwill to process more donations. That means more merchandise for sale in the store and ultimately more resources for Goodwill to help people in Maury County find work.”

The store will sell gently used clothing, shoes, books, furniture and household items, including many name brands, at deeply discounted prices. Sales of those donated items fund Goodwill’s mission of changing lives through education, training and employment.

In 2015, Goodwill assisted 1,184 Maury County residents with education and training and placed 455 of those into jobs. This year the not-for-profit hopes to help even more people with the addition of a new Goodwill Career Solutions Center located near the new store beside the parking lot entrance.

Goodwill had a Career Solutions center in Columbia that served ex-offenders from 2012-2014, but this will be the city’s first full-service Career Solutions Center serving the general public. Employees will provide free job readiness classes and other training and and host frequent job fairs.

The new 21,000-square-foot store features a 15,000-square-foot sales floor and a covered, drive-through Donation Express Center at the front of the building for donors’ convenience. The Career Solutions Center is about 2,000 square feet and will feature large and small meeting rooms, offices and a computer job search area. About 35-40 employees will work in the new facilities, including workers who transfer from the current Goodwill store.

Maury County Chamber of Commerce Director Kara Huckaby said she has seen the architectural plans for the new store and is impressed not only by its physical appearance but also by the services Goodwill provides in the community.

“It’s going to be a lovely new store, and the Career Solutions Center will be a great resource for people needing training or employment in Maury County,” she said.

Grand opening events at the store get under way at 8 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance. The store and donations area will open at 8:15 a.m. The Career Solutions Center open at a later date.

Goodwill tote bags will be given to the first 500 shoppers in the door beginning July 21, and 20 Goodwill gift cards will be given away through Sunday, July 24.
All merchandise at the store in Neeley’s Mill has been discounted to half price. The sale will continue until the facility is closed prior to the new store’s opening.

COLUMBIA GOODWILL STORE GRAND OPENING

WHEN:
Thursday, July 21

TIME:
8 a.m. – Ribbon-cutting Ceremony
8:15 a.m. — Store, Career Solutions and Donation Express Center open to customers

WHERE:
405 S. James Campbell Blvd. Columbia, Tenn.

About Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

For nearly 60 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 2015, Goodwill served 36,081 people in Middle and West Tennessee and placed 15,412 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.

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