Palm Bay Bass Pro Shop Ribbon Cutting Wednesday
By Space Coast Daily // December 2, 2013
premier outdoor retailers in North America
BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Bass Pro Shops will will celebrate the opening of their new location in Palm Bay with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
The theme of the opening will be “Night of Conservation” in which half the sales is donated to conservation groups.
Bass Pro Shops are among America’s most popular outdoor stores, and will open its 110,000-square-foot complex called the “Stick Marsh Outpost” at the highly visible intersection of I-95 and Palm Bay Road. The city of Palm Bay said that this is Bass Pro Shops’ first Brevard County store, and its 10th in Florida, at 1450 Executive Circle N.E. in Palm Bay.
Bass Pro Shops’ uniquely designed, award-winning stores are are considered to be part museum, art gallery, antique store and aquarium – and centers for conservation education and fun. Because designers use local artifacts, antiques, period pictures, state record wildlife mounts and memorabilia, the store becomes a living museum of the region and its hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor legacies.
The store hired about 200 people for the new Palm Bay location last September, including full-time, part-time and seasonal.
“The city of Palm Bay welcomes Bass Pro Shops to our community,” said Palm Bay Mayor William Capote.
“As one of the premier outdoor retailers in North America, Bass Pro Shops will strongly compliment Palm Bay’s fishing and boating venues as well as the variety of outdoor recreational opportunities in Brevard and Indian River Counties. Bass Pro Shops is routinely recognized for their environmental stewardship and they will be a great fit with Brevard County’s conservation initiatives, environmental education and outdoor recreation activities.”
The Springfield, Missouri-based company purchased and renovated the 12.34-acre, 110,658-square-foot site that once housed a Builders Square and then an automobile dealership. The building had been vacant since 2007.
The highly visible site, next to Space Coast Harley-Davidson, is ideal for attracting Space Coast residents and those traveling on Interstate 95.
RETAIL, ENTERTAINMENT, CONSERVATION
Bass Pro Shops’ award-winning, outdoor stores are known for combining retail with entertainment, conservation and outdoor education while delivering unmatched value and service to customers. The average customer stays two-and-a-half hours and drives an average distance of more than 50 miles.
Unique exterior and interior motifs have branded Bass Pro Shops as a visually appealing, high-quality outdoor store. The outdoors feel is brought indoors through massive log and rock work, large indoor aquariums and water features stocked with native fish species as well as an extensive collection of museum quality fish and wildlife mounts. Historic photos and exhibits will pay tribute to Florida’s great outdoor heritage.
The site is located in the Palm Bay Central Interchange SMART Area (Sustainable Market and Reinvestment Target Area, a.k.a. “brownfield”) and will be able to take advantage of the Florida brownfield job tax credit, according to a resolution passed by the Palm Bay City Council on Sept. 6.
Brevard Workforce also offered a job training grant for qualified employees should the company decide to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Partnering with community leaders to help redesign the economic landscape of Brevard is what Brevard Workforce does best,” said Lisa Rice, President of Brevard Workforce. “Teaming local talent with the jobs available is our passion.”
Bass Pro Shops currently operates 77 retail stores and Tracker Marine Centers across America and Canada visited by more than 120 million people annually.
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