Bedford County Welcomes Recreational Equipment
Dave Presley, REI; Sally Jewel, REI; Congressman Bill Shuster; Bette Slayton, BCDA and Chris Joyce, REI
An exciting new era has begun in Bedford County with the opening of Recreational Equipment, Inc. The nation's largest retail cooperative, with about 2.5 million members, has officially opened its East Coast Distribution Center along Interstate 99. The building’s recent dedication ceremony was well-attended and widely celebrated as a major economic development for the region.
The 525,000 square-foot facility is said to be one of America's most advanced warehousing and distribution facilities. REI won LEED approval of a silver designation as a "green building."
The new distribution center currently employs about 170 people and, when it is at full capacity by the end of 2008, will employ about 350. The Bedford distribution center will serve the needs of the company's 96 retail stores in the eastern United States. It is REI's second distribution center. Bedford County was chosen as the location following a highly competitive process that initially included about 80 other sites.
Sally Jewel, REI's president and CEO, hosted the event. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company has a distinctive, relaxed style that starts at the top.
"We are a business of the outdoors," Jewel stated. "We have more than 2,100 active vendors, including Cannondale Bicycles of Bedford. We thank all of them and support them because they support us."
Jewel noted that REI has 60,000 members in Pennsylvania as well as two retail outlets.
The company is consistently rated by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top 100 places to work in America. It has been rated that highly since the inception of the list in 1998.
"We are very committed to stewardship of the environment," Jewel said. "And we are also dedicated to getting kids outside playing. Children today spend 42 hours each week in front of a screen and only 30 minutes outdoors. Our company wants to inspire them to enjoy nature."The company, Jewel explained, intends to be an excellent corporate citizen in central Pennsylvania. To underscore the point, she mentioned the fact that REI's Bedford team has already donated more than 950 hours in service to the community.
United States Representative Bill Shuster also addressed the large gathering.