Car Loan Assistance Program Launches in D.C.
A national program that offers families with poor credit history low interest car loans so they can commute to a job is launching in the District. The Ways to Work program, funded in part by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PNC Bank, gives loans of up to $6,000 to purchase a car or up to $1,500 for car repairs in the Washington area through local nonprofit Family Matters of Greater Washington. The loans carry a flat 8 percent interest rate and repayment periods of 24 to 30 months. The loans are only being made available to lower-income people who are currently employed, have dependent children and have a past history of credit problems. Recipients must take a financial literacy class and pass a test.
Going Global – From Army Officer to Retail Director
Michelle Caraballo is an Army veteran with an MBA who ran a Chicago-area Walmart store after transitioning to the company and has been promoted to Director for Store Process in the Global Business Process, with an emphasis on Walmart’s operations in China. We caught up with Michelle to ask her about her transition experiences, and provide some tips.
Why Walmart Wants More Consumer Pressure For Sustainability
Selling green products can be complicated: When it comes to environmental consciousness, what consumers say they want doesn’t always match up with what they actually buy. In a free hour-long webcast Tuesday, speakers from Walmart, Lenovo and sustainability consultancy UL Environment discussed what they’re doing to try to bridge that gap. GreenBiz Executive Editor Joel Makower moderated the discussion. One issue is a difference between how consumers and companies think — and talk — about sustainable products. “It’s not just about recycled content anymore,” said Libby Bernick, vice president at UL Environment. There are other considerations, such as how long a product lasts. “But a majority of consumers or buyers don’t know what life cycle means.”
Walmart Announces Newly Planned Store for Chicago
Walmart to Build Supercenter on Former Race Track Site
Cicero – Wal-Mart is coming to the near western suburbs.
The company plans to build on the site of the former Sportsman’s Park race track site.
The town of Cicero bought the 68-acre parcel of land in 2009, demolished the racetrack, and waited for interested developers.
The town had lofty ideas of retailers coming in to develop the raw land, but when the economy was considered as well as other factors, some of those plans were scuttled.
Now, Wal-Mart wants to build a 190,000-square-foot supercenter, according to the Chicago Tribune .
Cicero’s president says the store will create 400 permanent jobs and an extra 200 construction jobs.
Walmart to Build Supercenter on Sportsman’s Park Site
A new 190,000-square-footWal-
Plans call for the mega-retailer to purchase 21 acres for $7.5 million near the 3400 block of South Cicero Avenue, according to town documents. An agreement is expected to be announced Tuesday.
Construction will begin in spring 2013, with the store opening in 2014, said Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania.
Hanania said Wal-Mart isn’t expected to receive any tax incentives.
The project will create 400 permanent new jobs and 200 construction-related jobs, Cicero President Larry Dominick said in a statement Monday. “And that will mean more jobs for area residents,” he said.
The agreement marks the second major development at the former park site. In 2011, Wirtz Beverage Illinois purchased 35 acres near 33rd Street and Laramie Avenue for $6.5 million.
Read more at WGNTV
New Walmart Store Coming to Former Sportsman’s Park Site
Walmart says it will build a new supercenter in Cicero on the site of the old Sportsman’s Park.
It will be located on the southwest corner of 33rd Street and Cicero Avenue.
The store is expected to open in 2014 and will add about 400 jobs to the Chicago area.
Work on the project will begin sometime next year.
Walmart Supercenter to be Built on Sportsman’s Park Location
Wal Mart will build yet another Chicago area store, this time at the defunct Sportsman Park race track at 33rd and Cicero avenues.
The multinational retail corporation has taken over a 190,365 square foot , according to the Chicago Tribune.
The new Wal Mart could open sometime in 2014, and will provide roughly 400 jobs to the area.
Ever since the Chicago City Council lifted a ban on the big box retailer, Wal Mart has started building locations all across the city, from Lake View to Pullman.
Wal-Mart To Open On Old Sportsman’s Park Site
CICERO, Ill. (CBS) — The site of the old Sportsman’s Park racetrack is getting a new life as the site of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
Wal-Mart is developing the massive big-box store, complete with a full grocery store, at the old racetrack site at 33rd Street and Cicero Avenue in Cicero.
Citing town documents, the Chicago Tribune reported Wal-Mart will buy 21 acres for $7.5 million on the site, and construction will begin next year. The store will open in 2014, the newspaper reported.
The project will create 400 new jobs and 200 construction jobs, according to the town Web site.
An official announcement on the project is set to come later Tuesday.
Another major development on the old racetrack site was announced last year. Alcohol distributor Wirtz Beverage Illinois will open a 600,000 square-foot corporate center, with 100,000 square feet of office and conference center space, next month, the Tribune reported.
The facility will allow Wirtz to consolidate its operations in suburban Schaumburg, Wood Dale, Bensenville and Elk Grove Village. The corporate headquarters for the company remain at 680 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Wirtz Beverage, which is part of the family-run corporation that owns the Blackhawks, received about $13 million in tax increment financing, the Tribune reported. Wal-Mart is not getting any tax incentives.
The Town of Cicero will still own 10 acres on the site, the newspaper reported.
The semi-furlong Sportsman’s Park racetrack was founded as a dog track by Al Capone in 1928. But it hosted horse races for most of its history.
In its later years, Sportsman’s Park was turned into a combined horse and auto racing facility, known as the Chicago Motor Speedway.
In 2002, the park hosted its last race, the National Jockey Club, which owned the park, said it would move its operations to the nearby Hawthorne RaceCourse. The Town of Cicero purchased Sportsman’s Park in 2003, and it was demolished in 2009.
Wal-Mart has operated stores in the suburbs for decades, in some instances just across a road from the Chicago city limits. But the first Chicago Wal-Mart store, at North and Kilpatrick avenues in the Austin neighborhood, didn’t open until 2006.
Walmart to Build Supercenter in Cicero
Walmart is planning to build a 190,000-square-foot supercenter at the old Sportsman’s Park racetrack site in Cicero.
The store, with a full grocery selection, will employ about 400 and take up 21 acres on the southwest corner of 33rd Street and South Cicero Avenue, a company spokesman said Monday.
Also on the site will be a Wirtz beverage distribution center.
“We think a new Walmart store in Cicero can be part of the solution for folks who need a job or just want more affordable grocery options close to where they live or work,” said Steven Restivo, the company’s director of community affairs.
