Chamber of Commerce

BigBox, BigHeart BY MICHAEL JAENICKE source helped a 21 year-old-unskilled worker and a 71 year-old retiree secure jobs, in spite of living in two of the poorest counties in the state — Robeson and Scotland. W hen a small theater troupe wanted to take a fairy tale series to libraries across the state it got support from a rather unusual source. The same These are but two of the many examples of Wal-Mart coming to the rescue. The big-box behemoth may get a bad rap for its effect on local economies, but no one can claim that Wal-Mart isn't a good neighbor here. While 24-hour superstores dot the map nationwide, the company's distribution center in Hope Mills has been a bonanza for Fayetteville, Cumberland County and be- yond. The facility opened in 1997 and sends merchan- dise to stores from the Virginia line through North Carolina and down to Charleston, S.C. The 52-acre site has 1.2 million square feet. That equates to about 27 football fields. Imagine having to service 152 forklifts and 9.2 miles of 24 | ACCENTS • 2012/2013 The Wal-Mart Distribution Center gives back, again and again conveyors or deal with 120 over-the-road trailers. Last year alone, the trucks drove more than 14 million miles. For space adventure fans that's 30 trips to the moon and back. Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne said the impact of the Wal-Mart hub goes beyond its eye-popping eco- nomic development in the region and into the daily lives of residents. "It's an amazing company and we've been delighted to be able to work with them," he said. "As an All-Amer- ica City, we are grateful to have them as our corporate neighbor. "The unselfish support this center continues to give the Cumberland County, Fayetteville and the Hope Mills community is enormous. There are many other opportunities that the Wal-Mart Distribution Center employees have used to demonstrate their will- ingness to make a difference throughout our city and beyond." Distribution Center General Manager Mike Baldwin said the marriage has been a 15-year honeymoon. "It's really been a good association," he said. "We couldn't

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