Members of the United Family leadership team joined Brownwood community leaders to break ground at the site of the company’s next United Supermarkets and United Express locations, 300 East Commerce.
The Ceremony caps a two-year effort to bring United to Brownwood, with a 42,648 square foot supermarket and convenience store. Construction on the two stores will begin in August, with an opening targeted for June 2015.
Representing the United Family were Robert Taylor, president; Sidney Hopper, chief operating officer; Tony Crumpton, executive vice president of facility, fuel and supply; Phil Pirkle, executive vice president of talent management; Mark Yowell, regional vice president; and Joe Rollins, director of real estate.
“This is an exciting day in the history of our company,” said Taylor. “It is always gratifying to extend the United banner, but especially to new communities like Brownwood.”
He stated United chose Brownwood for its new expansion because Brownwood had a lot to offer.
“Brownwood is a great community, it has a beautiful lake, a rich history (including that of high school football), opportunities in higher education, great promise for industry,” said Taylor. “There are a lot of things going for Brownwood. We’re honored to have the privilege to introduce United’s special brand of service to this community and to the people who call it home.”
Joining Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes for the ceremony were City Manager Bobby Rountree, Brownwood Economic Development Corporation President Ryan Reagan, and Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ray Tipton.
Mayor Haynes spoke of his familiarity with United Supermarkets while he was attending college at Abilene Christian University.
“They run great stores and are great in all they do,” said Haynes. He explained that through the process of recruiting United to Brownwood he became even more excited about the company coming to Brownwood. Dealing with United was “a breath of fresh air.”
Haynes stated that the recruiting process can take several years and some companies have not “had time” to come to Brownwood and that instead a delegation of city officials have traveled to meet with their officials and were only given 30 minutes to pitch the reasons why Brownwood is a good location to build a new store. However, when this retail recruitment committee met with United representatives, it was much different and on their second meeting, the president of the company actually flew into Brownwood and spent time touring the area with Mayor Haynes.
“This company is committed to community, family values and will be a great partner to the City of Brownwood,” said Haynes.
Tipton explained that the retail recruitment committee had hired the Retail Coach to do a study which revealed through a survey the public’s outcry for a new grocery store.
“We made this our number one priority to try to get a grocery store,” said Tipton. “Partnerships between the city, the EDC, and the chamber are really important. We are lucky because that doesn’t happen in a lot of communities. A lot of times those organizations work independently of each other and sometimes they work against each other surprisingly, so that kind of partnership is really important to get things like this accomplished and moving forward.”
The new stores are expected to bring 140-160 new jobs to Brownwood, with an estimated payroll of $1.35 million per year. They will sit on a 9.8 acre site, with the United Express to be located near the corner of Commerce and Riverside Park Drive.
The Brownwood City Council and Economic Development Corporation have committed up to $360,000 in incentives for United, to be used on infrastructure and site improvements needed at this location.
“This store represents our newest United format, which we think Brownwood guests will really enjoy. It is all about ‘fresh,’” said Wes Jackson, chief merchandising officer for The United Family. “It will feature the ‘fresh’ departments – produce and floral – at the front of the store, and the dining-food service area will be to the right of the entrance, away from the shopping flow. In addition to a wide assortment of grocery, dairy and frozen items that guests have come to expect, the store also will include a drive-thru pharmacy and a walk-in healthcare clinic.”
Other notable store features will include a full-service meat-seafood department, full-service bakery and walk-in beer cooler, along with LED lighting throughout the store to lower overall energy usage.
In addition to the standard convenience items, the United Express store will offer sandwiches, breakfast burritos and other items made fresh daily in the main store. It also will include a four-pump (eight dispensers) fuel station, offering both gasoline and diesel.
Now in its 98th year of operation, United Supermarkets, LLC – d.b.a. The United Family ® – is a Texas-based grocery chain with stores in 35 markets across north and west Texas. A self-distributing company with its headquarters in Lubbock and distribution centers in Lubbock and Roanoke, United currently operates 68 stores under five unique brands: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Albertsons Market and united Express, along with ancillary operations R.C. Taylor Distributing, Praters, and Llano Logistics. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Albertson’s LLC.
Pictured at top are (left to right) Joe Rollins, director of real estate for The United Family; Tony Crumpton, EVP of facility, fuel & supply, The United Family; Robert Taylor, president of The United Family; Ray Tipton, executive director of the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce; Stephen Haynes, mayor of Brownwood; Sidney Hopper, COO, The United Family; Mark Yowell, regional VP, The United Family; Ryan Reagan, president of the Brownwood Economic Development Corp.; Bobby Rountree, Brownwood city manager; and Phil Pirkle, EVP of talent management, The United Family.
Mayor Haynes takes a look at the blueprint of the store.
CEO Robert Taylor spoke of the United Family’s expansion to the new Brownwood location.
Officials break turn dirt at the site.
