Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lauren Sackett says there were 39 ribbon-cutting ceremonies last year.
“It’s more than we’ve had in quite a while. We’ve noticed a lot of growth in the community, and we’re excited about that,” said Sackett.
Those ribbon cuttings were for new businesses and for established businesses that expanded or relocated.
There were also four groundbreakings, including the now-complete 84,000-square-foot Blain’s Farm and Fleet at the corner of Highway 17 and Timber Drive.
“Rhineland is kind of uniquely positioned to be a really great retail destination for the Northwoods,” said Sackett. “We’re excited about that. We’re excited to see that they’ve put such a big investment here. 84,000 square feet and 100 jobs is really important to our community.”
According to Blain’s Farm and Fleet, those 100 jobs weren’t too difficult to fill, even in this job market.
Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Kristin Stewart credits the company’s reputation.
“Forbes has named us one of America’s best employers five years in a row. That’s quite an accomplishment they tell us. It’s pretty rare. People know that we’re a great company to work for. That we treat our employees like family and our customers like neighbors,” said Stewart.
Blain’s Farm and Fleet President and CEO Jane Blain Gilbertson told people at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday that a Rhinelander store had been in the works for years.
“It just felt like a place we that we could be a part of. We wanted to make this a home,” said Gilbertson.
Rhinelander is the 45th Blain’s Farm and Fleet store. Gilbertson says they’ve never closed a location.
The Rhinelander store is now open.
The grand opening is May 11th.
