An enormous crowd of Villagers and area residents attended the grand opening Wednesday morning of the first Walmart Super Center in The Villages.
The celebration of the new Walmart Super Center, located at 1115 Waxman Drive, near the intersection of Morse Boulevard and State Road 44 was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. While a steady stream of cars filled the over 400 car parking lot before the ribbon cutting, several Walmart super fans arrived early as the first 300 shoppers were awarded $25 gift certificates.
Three Eustis men, Vincent Raley, Cody Herda, and Clay Patterson showed up at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to guarantee that they would be the first customers through the door.
Patterson said this was the second grand opening of a business in which he was the first in line.
“It is lots of fun,” he said.
Terri Forde of the Village of St. Catherine and Geraldine Bradley of the Haciendas of Mission Hills became friends as they stood in line to enter the store. They had a lot of time to become acquainted as they arrived at 5 a.m.
The throng of customers were entertained by the Leesburg High School band and the Wildwood High School cheerleaders as well as world renowned saxophonist Mike Phillips who played the national anthem as the Villages Marine Corps Detachment 1267 Color Guard presented the Colors.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson told the audience that Walmart has worked with Florida farmers through the state’s Fresh From Florida program. The initiative began rolling out earlier this year, with customers already seeing Fresh From Florida products featured in-store and online statewide. Early response has been strong, and it will expand to several Sam’s Club locations across the state later this month.
“Florida’s farmers, ranchers, and growers are second to none, and this partnership between Fresh From Florida and Walmart puts their products front and center,” said Simpson. “When shoppers see the Fresh From Florida label in Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, they can trust that they’re buying the freshest products, grown right here at home, and supporting the hardworking farm families across our state.”
Wednesday’s store opening was “a proud moment for our team and The Villages community,” said Store Manager Trish Rubio, a California native who’s happy to working in The Villages. “Thanks to the dedication of our associates, we’re opening a store designed for how customers shop today — bringing new jobs, expanded services and even more value to this growing community.” The new Super Center currently employs 416 new employees according to Rubio. Associates have access to competitive pay, flexible schedules, paid time off and benefits including tuition-free college from day one.
Walmart awarded grants to local nonprofit organizations serving The Villages community, including :The Wildwood Soup Kitchen, Love Thy Neighbor and the Rotary Club of The Villages.