State snags Macys facility

Charleston Daily Mail December 14, 2010 | RY RIVARD Macys, the department store and national retail giant, will build a massive distribution center in the Eastern Panhandle, creating more than 1,000 jobs and an annual payroll of $30 million, state officials announced Monday. The 1.3 million-square-foot center in Martinsburg will help fill the growing number of orders coming from the chains online websites. Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced the deal at a press conference in the Capitol. He credited former Gov. and current U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who was on hand for the event. The state is giving Macys about $7 million in incentives, including tax breaks, to put its facility near Martinsburg. But that pales in comparison to the $30 million in annual payroll expected at the center. The center is expected to open in April 2012. When its fully up and running, the facility is expected to create 1,200 full- and part-time jobs and 700 seasonal jobs. To say I am pleased with the results of this effort is an understatement, Tomblin said. Capito issued a statement. With so many businesses slow to expand and hire during these tough economic times, this announcement is certainly something to celebrate. I am sure Macys Inc. will quickly come to appreciate our sincere work ethic and business-friendly community. Tomblin apparently helped seal the deal in recent weeks. He said he met with Macys officials and assured them the states taxes would remain stable. He said the company looked at more than 150 other sites. He said West Virginias fiscal stability with a good bond rating, apparently solid budget and level or declining business tax rates were part of what attracted the company to locate here. After the press conference, Delegate Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, who represents the district, came up to Tomblin and said, God bless you. Macys also acknowledged the work of state officials. We would like to thank state and local officials in West Virginia, led by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, for their support and assistance through our site selection process, said Macys president and CEO Terry Lundgren. The facility, known as a fulfillment center, is essentially a massive warehouse to handle and ship inventory. The new center will represent significant expansion of Macys capacity and will be used in particular to prepare and ship orders to macys.com customers in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, Lundgren said. This center will include the very latest material handling equipment and warehouse management systems so we can fill orders quickly and efficiently, he said. An exact site has yet to be announced, but it is expected to be close to Interstate 81 near Martinsburg. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2011. go to web site macys printable coupons website macys printable coupons

BOB WOJCIESZAK/DAILY MAIL Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Monday that Macys, the national retail giant, plans to build a distribution center in Berkeley County that will provide more than 1,000 jobs. Expected to open in 2012, the 1.3 million-square-foot center will facilitate orders from the retailers online shop.

BOB WOJCIESZAK/DAILY MAIL Tomblin credited Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., center, Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., who were unable to attend, for bringing the facility to the Eastern Panhandle.

RY RIVARD