Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wal-Mart Supercenter Opens In Arkadelphia

A cerulean blue sky greeted those on hand for the grand opening of Arkadelphia's Wal- Mart Supercenter Wednesday, Oct. 27.

The parking lot of the new business was filled, with a portion roped off for the speakers and audience.

Tony Hill, Supercenter manager,

welcomed the crowd, saying the project of moving from the old store to the new one began about six weeks earlier, with the company having to hire 150-200 more workers to get the job done.

He said all of the workers had to gel and become a team, all working toward the same goal getting the Supercenter operational. "We talked about teamwork a lot."

Hill said the Arkadelphia center was the most beautiful one he's ever seen.

He thanked all involved and their families, saying no one got to spend much time at home during the moving and closing process.

The management team was introduced to the crowd, with Hill telling what the Supercenter would be offering. He said it has a full-line grocery store, beauty shop and optometrist, along with a branch of Elk Horn Bank.

Long-time employees were honored for the service they have given to the company, with a couple of workers having been with Wal-Mart for 20 years. Some had been with the Arkadelphia store since it opened.

Once these awards had been presented, Hill started handing out money. The funds, a total of $8,300, were given as matching grants to several organizations.

These included the Gurdon Go-Devil Marching Band, Peake Elementary, Muldrew Chapel CME Church, ADHC Volunteer Council, the Clark County Humane Society, City of Delight Parks Commission, Third Street Baptist Church, Arkadelphia High School Jazzler Drill Team and the United Way of Clark County.

District Manager Karen Fuller also gave thanks to those involved with the process, praising the associates for the work they did in getting the old store closed and Supercenter up and running.

"They've did the best job I've ever seen," she said. "It's beautiful."

She said the drugs were the last thing moved, and then not until the old store had been completely closed.

This happened the night before the grand opening, with an all-nighter being pulled to get the new center's pharmacy operational.

Bob Eckersley, the first manager of Arkadelphia's Wal-Mart, said the new store looked fantastic, and tops the list of all the new supercenters he's seen recently.

In spite of the experience most of the employees have, he said, a 30-day break-in period is still required to get used to things in the new location.

Once the speeches concluded the ribbon was cut to officially open the new Supercenter, with the crowds streaming into the new building.