Goodwill opens new location, launches Career Training Center

In the words of one store patron, "This is the Wal-Mart of Port St. Joe."

The new Goodwill location on U.S. Highway 98 was buzzing with customers after the ribbon was cut Feb. 10 by Fred Shelfer, the CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Big Bend, inviting patrons to be the first to sample aisles packed with deals and steals.

 The new store, located at the site of the old Dollar General Store, has 2,000 square feet of additional floor space than the old store on Reid Avenue to provide customers with a larger variety of inventory.

"We want to be a part of this community and help it to grow," Shelfer said before he cut the ribbon last Friday morning. "A lot of hard work went into it—I'm very pleased with it and I hope you will be too."

Shelfer said that although the store on Reid Avenue was incredibly successful, they wanted to have a spot directly on the highway to help draw in passing traffic.  

The new store also has a more convenient drive-around drop-off location for donated goods behind the store. The parking lot has been continuously packed since Friday’s grand opening.

Shelfer said Goodwill places a huge emphasis on conservation, and helps prevent unwanted goods from ending up in a landfill. Each year, Goodwill diverts more than two billion pounds of clothing and household goods from landfills by recovering the value in people’s unwanted material goods.

"Those things that we can't sell, we salvage," Shelfer said. "We try to waste nothing, or as little as possible."

Shelfer also reminded eager customers that their purchases and donations provide the fuel for the new Goodwill Career Training Center, located next door to the store.

While the previous Goodwill on Reid Avenue offered only limited services on a part-time basis, the new career training center will have a full-time staff person and be open for services five days a week.

"The career training center will offer career training for the citizens of Port St. Joe free of charge," Shelfer said. "We encourage you to spread the word."

Shelfer said while the Goodwill Store will provide residents with a fine shopping experience, the new career training center will help people to develop skills to be able to provide for their families.  

"Before we only had a part-time position and it was a volunteer," said Brook Lochore, vice president of public relations for Goodwill Industries. "We really try to meet the needs of each community."

The Port St. Joe center will offer a specialized hospitality training curriculum designed around what local hospitality employers are looking for.  

"For the hospitality unit, the curriculum has been developed by talking to restaurant and hotel management and asking them what skills are needed," Lochore said. "We've been getting partners in the community which will provide guaranteed interviews and feedback. It's a blessing to the businesses because they're gaining employees with the right training, and it's a blessing to us because it helps us place jobs."

The career training center offers referrals to community resources, interest and aptitude assessments, employability skills workshops, GED prep, career skills training, office skills training and computer training, money management classes, small business start-up classes, resume and interview preparation, work experience opportunities, job placement and hiring services, and job retention support.

The center's 15 new computers are set up for lessons in QuickBooks Pro 2011, the Microsoft Office Suites, typing and more. The lessons are set up so students can complete them at their own pace.

"We answer questions like, what is the appropriate attire for an interview.  How should you set your voicemail? What is your email account?" Lochore said. "One person had 'Thug4Life" (as an email address). Do you really think you're going to get a callback? It's the little things."

Lochore said the new center ultimately aims to help people find a job, keep a job and be successful.