Goodwill celebrates grand opening of new location in North Port

On November 2, Goodwill Manasota celebrated the grand opening of its newest attended donation center, located at 2250 Bobcat Village Center Road in North Port, near Toledo Blade Boulevard. The 2,000 square-foot facility will provide southern Sarasota County residents with another convenient location for dropping off donations of unwanted goods.

The North Port Chamber of Commerce, represented by executive director Bill Gunnin, conducted the ribbon-cutting. Dignitaries in attendance included City of North Port Mayor Jacqueline Moore and Sarasota County Commissioner Christine Robinson. Both Moore and Robinson noted that they were proud that this would be the final ribbon cutting event for each of their respective terms in office because of the benefits that Goodwill brings to the economic and social well-being of the local community.

Randy Welker, City of North Port Economic Development Division, and Christopher Whittaker, City of North Port planning department, were also in attendance as well as members of the North Port Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Others who came to show their support included Steve Padgett, Chip Swider and Amanda Parrish from Fawley Bryant Architecture, and Ron Allen, John McKay, Jason Bartz and Kevin Kloepfler from NDC Construction.

"Donations to Goodwill are sold in local retail and outlet stores. The revenue from these sales funds job training programs and support services that help people with barriers to employment to achieve and maintain economic independence and a better quality of life," said Bob Rosinsky, president and CEO of Goodwill Manasota. "By opening this new attended donation center in North Port, Goodwill is making donating as easy and convenient as possible, and is creating new jobs in the community in the process. These locations are vital in our mission of changing lives through the power of work."

This facility will bring the total of Goodwill attended donation centers to 36 in its service area of Sarasota, Manatee, Desoto and Hardee counties. The new facility employs two new team members, and has the potential to increase the number of donations to Goodwill Manasota by more than 12,000 annually. The donation of unwanted items to Goodwill supports programs and services throughout the region, enabling the organization to change lives through the power of work.

For more about Goodwill Manasota, go to experiencegoodwill.org.

PHOTO ID: Those attending the ribbon-cutting at the new Goodwill Manasota attended donation center included members of Goodwill's professional team, local elected officials and government employees, members of the business community, and professionals from the architectural and construction firms who worked on the location

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 2015, Goodwill Manasota served 22,739 people, placed 961 people in jobs and assisted 358 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 41 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.