BP MARKOWITZ JOINS COUNCIL MEMBER DOMENIC RECCHIA, DEVELOPER JOE SITT, BROOKLYN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT/CEO CARLO SCISSURA, TO BREAK GROUND ON SHORE PARKWAY BJ'S WHOLESALE CLUB
On Monday, December 17,Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined City Council Member Domenic Recchia, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carlo Scissura, Thor Equities developer Joe Sitt and BJ's Wholesale Club Regional Manager Dan Smith to break ground on a new BJ's Wholesale Club on Shore Parkway in Gravesend.
"Bravo to Joe Sitt and BJ's on raising the bar for how businesses should be run," said BP Markowitz. "By moving up the construction time table and creating 300 well-paying jobs, they are helping to drive the economic recovery in south Brooklyn—especially in nearby Coney Island—one of the areas hardest hit by the storm. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Hurricane Sandy may have battered our city, but as Brooklynites, we will rebuild, rebound and rejoice—and today's groundbreaking is proof of that."
Photo by Kathryn Kirk
In photo (left to right): City Council Member Domenic Recchia; BJ's Wholesale Club Regional Manager Dan Smith; developer Joe Sitt; BP Markowitz; Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carlo Scissura
Official release from Thor Equities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THOR BREAKS GROUND ON NEW BJ'S WHOLESALE CLUB IN BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOOD DEVASTATED BY SANDY; PROJECT WILL CREATE OVER 300 JOBS
Thor, BJ's Executives Join Leading Brooklyn and NYC Elected Officials to Break Ground on Several Hundred Thousand Square Foot Complex on Shore Parkway
Post Hurricane, Thor Equities Accelerates Construction Time Table to Help Drive Economic Recovery of Neighborhood, and Promote Hundreds of Jobs Created in Hard-Hit Area
(Brooklyn, NY) – Just weeks after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Thor Equities and BJ's Wholesale Club broke ground today on a massive new BJ's Wholesale Club retail destination on Shore Parkway, in Sandy-battered Gravesend, Brooklyn. Joe Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities and Dan Smith, District Manager of BJ's Wholesale Club were joined by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, New York City Councilman Domenic Recchia and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura, to officially put shovels in the ground and make the case that Brooklyn was back in business.
"This project is going to bring jobs and economic vitality to the neighborhood and help support an economic boom fueled by commercial real estate development across the borough," said Joseph Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities. "All of us understand that its going to take a lot of time and a lot of investment to get this borough back to where it needs to be in the aftermath of Sandy, but let this groundbreaking serve as a down payment on all of our commitment to rebuild, reinvest, and revitalize Brooklyn."
"Bravo to Joe Sitt and BJ's, you are raising the bar for how businesses should be run. By moving up the construction time table and creating 300 well-paying jobs, they are helping to drive the economic recovery in south Brooklyn – especially in nearby Coney Island – one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the storm", said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again – Hurricane Sandy may have battered our city, but as Brooklynites, we will rebuild, rebound, and rejoice – and today's ground breaking is proof of that."
"The timing of this project could not be better. As we begin what will be a long road to recovery following Sandy, it's crucial that the public and private sectors work together to ignite our local economy, create jobs, and get our community back on it's feet, said New York Councilman Domenic Recchia. "The 300 plus local jobs created by this project is a great step forward in rebuilding Brooklyn back better than ever."
"This truly is a wonderful project that will help create 300 jobs in a part of Brooklyn that really needs it following Sandy," said Carlo A. Scissura, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. "I would like to thank Joe Sitt and Thor Equities for speeding up this project in the wake of the storm and to BJs for creating jobs in Brooklyn and investing in our communities. Gravesend, and all of Brooklyn, will be better off as a result of this effort."
"BJ's has always valued the relationship with the communities around all of our clubs, and in the aftermath of Sandy we feel fortunate to be able to further extend our reach in Brooklyn to accelerate the recovery," said Dan Smith, Regional Manager, BJ's Wholesale Club. "We hope this project in Gravesend will show Brooklynites our commitment to not just the recovery, but to providing every day values to the community. "
The construction of the BJ's Wholesale Club in Gravesend is projected to create 300 jobs in planning, construction, and personnel, providing a major boost to the borough after the devastating impact of Sandy. Upon completion, BJ's will occupy a 200,000 square foot building in a high-traffic shopping destination that includes Best Buy, New York Sports Club, and a Mercedes-Benz dealership located on Shore Parkway. This location will be the popular store's third outpost in Brooklyn, joining stores in Canarsie and on Gateway Drive.
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About Thor Equities
Thor Equities is a global leader in urban real estate development, leasing and management, pursuing premier hotel, commercial, residential, retail and mixed-use assets in high-density areas. Through its brokerage affiliate, Thor High Street, it is also a premier leasing agent for third-party property owners and exclusively represents global retailers in their search for prime urban locations in North America, Europe and Latin America. Thor Equities provides the best possible "High Street" retail, commercial, hotel and mixed-use building environments within urban centers across the United States – all while delivering attractive, risk-adjusted returns to high net work and institutional investors. For more information about the company, visit www.thorequities.com.
About BJ's Wholesale Club
BJ's is dedicated to providing members with high-quality, brand-name food and merchandise at prices that are significantly lower than supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores and specialty retail stores. BJ's carries the most product variety of any wholesale club with more than 7,000 items, including supermarket-sized staples, USDA Choice meats, all-natural and certified organic products and stock-up items. BJ's is the only wholesale club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and for greater convenience, offers the most payment options including EBT.
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The Company operates 198 clubs and 107 gas stations in 15 eastern states.