More than six years of planning went into the opening of the Warsaw Meijer store this morning. Hank Meijer, company co-chair, and other company and store staff helped cut the ribbon inside the store at 1200 Lake City Highway at 10 a.m. They were joined by Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer and representatives of the Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber. “We’ve been looking forward to bringing this here for a long time,” Meijer said, adding that they waited until having “the confidence that we could compete successfully against our much larger supercenter competitors ... That’s a confidence we didn’t have until a few years ago.” He said they gained that confidence by taking a lot of the costs out of doing business, operating more efficiently – closing the price gap while offering “savings without sacrifice” – and improving the quality of their service. He also noted Warsaw could potentially be the chain’s 200th store, depending on whether the time of the opening beat out a store in Portage today – and whether or not you count the closing of a store in Newark, Ohio, as turning the count back from the official 200th opening in Flint, Mich., recently. But he added more important to him is the experience of shoppers and the team who came together to open the store. “That’s what’s more meaningful to me,” he said. Shoppers were already milling around inside as the group gathered under an archway of balloons just inside the opening. Before breaking out the giant scissors, they presented checks for $500 to the Warsaw police and fire departments and $1,000 in gift cards to the Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The company wanted to thank the church for hosting four days of job interviews as Meijer sought to fill more than 250 positions. Church Senior Pastor Erik Ohman and Office Manager Krista Koors said the show of gratitude was unexpected. “Anybody bringing 300 jobs to town, I’m happy to help,” Ohman remarked. The store will also feature grand opening events beginning Sunday, including daily giveaways, family activities and Best Summer Ever Sweepstakes contests each week through July. Notable events include an inflatable obstacle course and $50 Meijer Gift Card giveaways every 15 minutes with WAWC-FM radio personalities Sunday, a cooking demonstration with Food Network star Herb Messa on June 22, and a Casting Clinic by professional fisherman Kendall Ulsh on June 29. Best Summer Sweepstakes prizes will include a $1,000 Ultimate Grilling Package, a free Florida vacation, a Backyard BBQ Makeover, and free groceries for a year.
