Opening day ahead for Supercenter

The shelves are stocked, the ovens fired and the roll-back signs are firmly in place as Walmart employees prepare for the grand opening of their new Supercenter on Hutton Ranch Road off of U.S. 93 in north Kalispell.

The store will open its doors to the public at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 16, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony where store associate Rebecca Gadilauskas will sing the National Anthem and the American Legion will present colors.

The Walmart Foundation also will award $60,000 in grants during the ceremony to Montana State Giving Grant and the Special Olympic Winter Games of Montana.

Employees have had roughly five weeks to prepare the new store. Construction began on the building in September last year. At 188,028 square feet, the building is now Kalispell’s largest.

It’s what Walmart executives refer to as a “Project Impact” store, meaning it aims to be as sustainable as possible, and store manager Julie Keyes says the new Kalispell store is one of the retailers’ first.

Large skylights harvest daylight, reducing the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily.

LED lighting replaces traditional fluorescent bulbs, operating 70 percent more efficiently. The baseboards around the perimeter are made from recycled plastics and the cement used in the concrete flooring also is made with recycled materials.

The floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Waste heat from the refrigeration system will be used to heat water for the low-flow faucets in the restrooms and kitchen.

“It’s exciting for all the associates to see this,” Keyes said on a walk-through of the store Friday.

Other changes are in store for Walmart customers at the new location.

The Supercenter will feature a new walk-in medical clinic owned and operated by Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Designed to provide convenient and affordable basic health-care services, the clinic will offer check-ups, immunizations, limited X-rays, screenings and treatment of minor injuries, according to a news release from the hospital.

Keyes, who worked for a grocery retailer 23 years before coming to Walmart eight years ago, is most excited about the expanded grocery section.

“It has everything a grocery store has and more,” she said.

Rather than just a handful of choices as the Evergreen location did, the Supercenter will offer a full line of groceries complete with a deli offering a range of meats and pizza by the slice, bakery, fresh produce department and a full liquor department.

Bakers have been testing recipes and equipment during the week of shelf stocking, offering their samples to employees taking a few moments off in the employee lounge.

“When times get tough, food is what does well,” Keyes said. She commends the buying power behind Walmart for being able to offer extra-low prices to help people get by. “This is what customers need right now: the food and the prices.”

The store also will feature a Subway restaurant, digital photo processing center capable of creating huge banners and a Walmart Connect Center as well as 30 merchandise departments.

Gone from the store will be the tire and lube department many relied on at the Evergreen location.

Keyes said they simply ran out of room on the property to include it at the Supercenter. Those who have tire warranties will receive a refund if a problem occurs with their tires.

Walmart first arrived in the Flathead Valley in 1995 at the Evergreen location along U.S. 2.

Fifteen of its original employees are still with the company and will make the transition to the new store.

The opening of the Supercenter has created roughly 175 new jobs, bringing total employment to about 420.

“A career starts when you’re a cart pusher,” Keyes said. “There’s so much opportunity with this company.”

Personnel manager Becci Nicholson, one of the original Evergreen Walmart employees in 1995, looked through more than 1,700 applications to fill those jobs, an indication of how unemployment continues to plague the area.

The Evergreen store will close when the Supercenter opens. While it holds the lease on the building through 2015, Walmart currently has no plans for the empty space.

On a mousepad in Keyes’ new office is a photo of the old Walmart. She’s making one for each of her managers so they will remember where they came from.

“I think I’ll probably cry,” she said of the day the Evergreen doors close for good. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into that place.”

Business reporter Erika Hoefer may be reached at 758-4439 or via e-mail at ehoefer@dailyinterlake.com