Amid Native American
pageantry, balloons, streamers and enthusiastic
cheers from new employees, the world's
largest employer held a grand opening
ceremony for its newest facility on
Tuesday.
The nearly 1-million-square-foot Wal-Mart
MDC 7015 (MDC stands for mechanized
distribution center) was on display
for a crowd of hundreds including local
dignitaries and representatives of several
local school districts and non-profit
groups who were the happy recipients
of more than $27,000 in grants from
the company.
Yesterday's grand opening was the culmination
of nearly fours years of wooing, negotiations
and accommodation on the part of local
and state government and economic development
entities to land the facility plus the
several hundred new jobs that go with
it.
"What a great day for Wal-Mart,
what a great day for Bartlesville and
for this whole region of northeast Oklahoma,"
said keynote speaker Evan Zorn, president/CEO
of the Bartlesville Development Corp.
"We've been waiting for this day
a long time... We're only really just
beginning to reap the benefits to our
area of the distribution center and
we look for many, many more years of
economic rewards."
The opening of the massive center, located
8 miles south of Bartlesville on U.S.
Highway 75, together with the Bartlesville
Supercenter and Wal-Mart Administration
offices, make the Bentonville, Ark.-based
company the city of Bartlesville's second
largest employer behind ConocoPhillips,
according to Zorn.
Zorn pledged the cityt and BDC's support
continue to work with Wal-Mart to make
Bartlesville into "Bentonville
west."
"The Bentonville west comment is
kind of tongue in cheek, but I think
there are opportunities," said
Zorn of the city's relationship with
the company.
He said that a recent increase in tax
revenues for the city, new housing starts
and commercial development could be
traced, at least in part, to the center's
construction.
At the outset, Tuesday's event was decidedly
flavored by Oklahoma's Native American
culture as drummers and a processional
of brilliantly attired dancers with
of the Osage Nation opened the ceremony.
Following introductions by Assistant
General Mangaer Tim Cooper and presentation
of the colors and national anthem led
by Johnson O'Malley of the Osage NAtion
from Pawhuska, Ed RedEagle, and Osage
elder, led the prayer in his native
tongue and asked for blessing from the
Almighty for the company and its workers'
safety.
The company also showcased its associates'
enthusiasm.
"We believe that this is a house,"
said Cooper. "We believe that this
is a home away from home for us. We
are a business family. We work very
hard here and spend a lot of time here."
Cooper told the audience of several
hundred that the MDC theme is "Bring
it in the house." At that moment,
he shouted "Bring it...!"
and a few hundred Wal-Mart MDC associates
shouted back, "...in the house!"
MDC 7015 has been receiving merchandise
since March 21. Once fully operational,
it is scheduled to start shipping merchandise
to 70 stores in the region on May 16.
An estimated 250-300 semi-trucks will
travel to and from the center each day. |
