$40 million Ozark Centre begins construction

|tab|

As the city of Ozark grows, so grows Wal-Mart. |ret||ret||tab|

In June, Ozark was named the fastest-growing town in Missouri by the U.S. Census Bureau and Wal-Mart broke ground for a Supercenter, scheduled to open in April 2004.|ret||ret||tab|

Ozark grew by 7.7 percent (from 10,818 to 11,651 residents) between 2001 and 2002, according to the Census Bureau. |ret||ret||tab|

The Supercenter, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and Christian County Highway F, is anchor to Ozark Centre, a shopping center being built by Retail Realty Group LLC, owned by Thomas K. Walker. Retail Realty Group, based in St. Louis, developed the Supercenters in west Springfield, Republic, Nixa, and Ava, in addition to numerous other locations across the state, Walker said. |ret||ret||tab|

The general contractor for the 155,000-square-foot Supercenter is St. Louis-based S.M. Wilson. Rob Tinker, vice president of S.M. Wilson, said the first order of business is site development for the 80-acre piece of land. |ret||ret||tab|

"We're having to replace some of the earth because of soil conditions, but that's standard," Tinker said. |ret||ret||tab|

When complete, the Ozark Centre will measure 500,000 square feet. The estimated cost of all construction including outlot development is approximately $40 million, Walker said. He has not yet announced what other businesses will locate in the center, but he said Retail Realty Group is working with retailers and restaurants that will be new to the area. |ret||ret||tab|

Mia Masten, Wal-Mart community affairs manager, said 300 associates will be hired to staff the new Supercenter. Of that 300, more than 70 percent will be full time, she said. Both hourly and management positions will be available. |ret||ret||tab|

"More than 65 percent of our managers have been promoted from hourly associate positions. So there are a lot of opportunities in the company," she said. |ret||ret||tab|

When determining if a city can support a Supercenter, the company considers several factors, Masten said. The three most important factors are: the ability to service customers, a firm associate base and the opportunity to grow into the market, she said. |ret||ret||tab|

The exterior of new Wal-Mart stores often reflect the community in which they are located, Masten said. The new Supercenter will not resemble a "big blue box," she said.|ret||ret||tab|

"We are making a conscious effort to reflect more of the community. We have awnings on the rooftops to break up the big building."|ret||ret||tab|

The layout of the new store will be the same as other Supercenters and will include a McDonald's, an optical center, grocery and deli.|ret||ret||tab|

The city of Ozark will benefit from the new center through additional sales tax revenue, and the school districts will gain new real estate taxes, Walker said. He added that a new 300,000-gallon water tower will serve new development in addition to the Ozark Centre. |ret||ret||tab|

Sue Larimer, executive director of the Ozark Chamber of Commerce, said the Supercenter will be a positive addition to the city. |ret||ret||tab|

"We always welcome new businesses into town. Wal-Mart has been really good to this community, and we're looking forward to their expansion," Larimer said.|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]