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Walmart celebrates ‘re-grand opening’

By MORGAN AHART 3 min read

EAST LIVERPOOL --Walmart celebrated the completion of its remodel with a "re-grand opening" event Friday.

Friday's event marked the culmination of 16-weeks of concentrated effort throughout the renovation process and was described by Store Manager Andy Garwood as "second only to when we first opened our doors in 1991."

The event featured a performance of the national anthem by Aubrey Brooks, a flag raising and 21-gun salute by the Tri State Veteran Burial Group under the command of Jeffrey Kidder, remarks from Garwood, Mayor Robert Smith, St. Clair Township Trustee Jim Sabatini, Walmart Regional Manager Jandi Palozzi, the presentation of $9,000 in grants to six local non-profit organizations, the presentation of awards to six employees who have worked at the store since its opening, and a blessing by Pastor Bob Garwood.

Grants presented included: $2,000 to the East Liverpool Community Partnership; $1,000 for the East Liverpool Youth Academy; $1,000 to the Heartbeat of Columbiana County; $2,000 to the Saint Clair Township Patrolmen's Association; $2,000 to Threshold Residential Services; and $1,000 to the Center of Midland.

"My favorite part of this position is giving back to the community. I have been blessed to give $9,000 back out today," said Garwood.

Garwood said that the remodel has brought upgrades around the store including: complete remodels of the restroom, pharmacy, and vision center; expanded aisles and interactive displays, including additional grocery aisles; additional manned registers and updates to the self-checkouts for a smoother customer experience, a brand new digital space which will streamline pick-up and delivery service; and new graphics and signage around the store.

Garwood thanked his management team, and all the store's associates as well as the three visiting managers and associates from other stores who kept the store running during the remodeling process.

"The last 16 weeks were full of long stressful days, but this amazing team stuck together and came through to deliver the impossible," said Garwood.

He also thanked Singleton Construction, whom he said "pretty much had to build a new store," as well as the store's reality team, facilities maintenance team, and vendor partners. Above all, Garwood thanked the community for their support and for bearing with the staff during the remodel.

"To the community. I would like to thank you for your patience through the last 16 weeks. The floor conversion, the aisle shifts, the moving of products have all been inconveniences. However, you continued to show up and trust us with your shopping needs.

Smith thanked Walmart for being a part of the community, and for its recent support of the ongoing bike trail project. He also said that he was happy to see the remodel completed, and the store continuing to make investments to better serve the community.

Sabatini said that it was a great achievement for any store to operate for 35 years, and that Walmart has been a fixture of the community throughout those 35 years. He thanked the assembled staff for serving the community and said that St. Clair Township was thankful and proud that the store would continue to be a fixture of the community going forward.

Palozzi championed the store's associates and management team, noting that she had the opportunity to visit the store several times during the remodel and that they were always working tirelessly to improve their store for the community.

"We are here today to celebrate not just the project's completion, but the people that made it happen," said Palozzi.

mahart@mojonews.com

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