Menards, possible distribution center aiming to begin construction in 2006

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A new Menards and a possible distribution center may soon be coming to
Mount Pleasant, bringing increased jobs and commerce to the community.

Menards, a home improvement chain, is in the final stages of
planning and designing a new store east of Wal-Mart on Bluegrass Road.
Union Township is currently helping Menards, Inc. work out
environmental details of the site, and the Isabella County Road
Commission is looking at plans to widen Bluegrass to four lanes.

Union Township officials could not say when the building would be
finished, but when it is, it will be the second largest
home-improvement store in town. The Home Depot, 5650 E. Pickard Ave, is
the largest.

The new store would eventually be part of a “big-box” mall, which is
an outdoor group of stores dominated by a couple of major entities.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, the possibility of Kohl’s Department
Stores and other major retailers could add stores to the site —
starting as soon as next year. Encore Development is in charge of the
site.

Tom O’Neil, real-estate acquisition manager for Menards, Inc., said
the company chose to locate in Mount Pleasant because of its similar
size to Eau Claire, Wis., where the general offices are located. Both
locations are medium-sized cities with a state university, and O’Neil
is looking to experience the kind of success they had in Eau Claire in
Mount Pleasant.

“We are still trying to get all the necessary permits and approvals,
but we have every intention of beginning construction in 2006,” O’Neil
said. “We typically hire 150 to 160 people when we build a store.”

An average Menards staff is split between part time and full-time
employees in a variety of positions and departments. O’Neil said the
Menards — in combination with other possible developments in the area —
will have a large impact on local employment opportunities.

A distribution center is not a sure deal yet, but early reports from
the Morning Sun indicate it could be a Wal-Mart distribution center.

Two communities in the state — Mount Pleasant and Dorr Township near
Grand Rapids — are vying for the center, which would employ 700 people,
said George Dunn, president of the Middle Michigan Development
Corporation. Based in Bentonville, Ark., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is the
world’s largest retailer, with $285.2 billion in sales each year.

Representatives from the company declined to comment. The project
has not been announced publicly but is known as “Project 700” because
of the number of jobs it would bring in, which would likely pay between
$12 and $16 per hour, said James Kostrava, president and CEO of the
Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce.

“They would both have an enormous effect,” he said, adding that many
of those jobs could go to CMU students.