Goodwill opening new retail store in Lakewood Ranch, creating more jobs

Goodwill Manasota is preparing for the opening of its newest retail location, located at 8750 State Road 70 East in Lakewood Ranch. To be called “Ranch Lake,” this location will have the immediate impact of creating 50 new jobs and a direct annual economic impact of nearly $2 million to the community after its grand opening on Thursday, March 19 at 9:00am.

With the largest retail sales floor to date, at 22,800 square feet, the 49,434 square-foot building was designed by Randall Paul Sample, Architect and KAD Engineering, and renovated by Storie Construction. It showcases an epoxy floor with eco-friendly LED lights. The store exhibits larger-than-life graphics and a clean and vibrant color scheme. For the grand opening, the sales floor will be filled with approximately 31,000 pieces of clothing.

The Ranch Lake location will include a Community Room, an Attended Donation Center drive-through, and a Job Connection office, which provides free, one-on-one job placement services for job seekers and employers and assists individuals with applications, resumes and interviews.

The retail store will also feature a boutique section and will debut the “Tech Connection Powered by G” area, which will house computers, gaming systems and accessories, turntables, vinyl, speakers and other components. The refurbished computer program began as a pilot program in 2014. Goodwill became a licensed Microsoft Registered Refurbisher and all computers are installed with the Microsoft Digital Literacy Program, which helps improve basic computer skills.

Goodwill Manasota projects annual customer numbers at the store will reach approximately 220,000.

“Last year, our workforce increased to more than 800 team members and, with the opening of the Lakewood Ranch store, we are adding another 50 employees to the payroll. Not only does Ranch Lake create jobs, but it will have a multi-million dollar impact on the local economy,” said Goodwill Manasota president and CEO Bob Rosinsky. “When people donate and shop at a Goodwill store, they are directly contributing to our ability to change lives through the power of work. We are excited to expand our operations into the thriving Lakewood Ranch community.”

The store will be open 9am-9pm Monday through Saturday, and 10am-6pm on Sundays. The Attended Donation Center hours will be 8am-9pm Monday through Saturday, and 9am-6pm on Sundays. The Job Connection office will be open 8am-4:30pm Monday through Friday.

This will be the third grand opening for Goodwill Manasota in March – the organization also opened a new Attended Donation Center in downtown Sarasota at 1442 Fruitville Road, and opened a clearance center in a repurposed site at 2210 N. Tamiami Trail in Nokomis. For more information, go to www.experiencegoodwill.org or call (941) 355-2721.

About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and philanthropic donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities and other barriers to employment by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. In 2014, Goodwill Manasota served more than 16,000 people, placed 680 people in jobs through Job Connection and assisted 520 veterans as they reintegrated back into the civilian workforce. Goodwill Manasota’s economic impact back to the community is worth $81.3 million. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce-reuse-recycle movement and this past year diverted 39 million pounds out of the landfill. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota is accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota in essence belongs to this community, and is not owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org.

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