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Business & Tech

Columbia Wegmans to Begin Hiring; Opening in June

The McGaw Road store will be the second-largest Wegmans in Maryland.

Wegmaniacs should circle June 17, 2012, on their calendars and begin the official countdown.

That's when the Columbia Wegmans grocery store will open for business, according to company officials.

While the Wegmans shopping faithful can look forward to the new store, other residents might be anticipating a chance to work for the company.

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Wegmans will fill up to 650 full- and part-time jobs at the Columbia store, according to Jo Natale, director of media relations for the chain.

Information about available positions will be posted on the company's website next month, Natale said.

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An employment office will open in Columbia early next year. Job seekers will be required to fill out an online form to begin the employment application process, according to Natale.

Competition for jobs at Wegmans is stiff, with the company consistently named to Fortune magazine’s Best Companies to Work For list.

This year, the Rochester, NY-based  Wegmans Food Markets is ranked third, behind only software firm SAS and Boston Consulting Group.

Construction of the 145,000-square-foot grocery super store and adjacent underground parking lot is well under way.

The building includes 10,000 square feet of space for other retail outlets, Natale said.

The Columbia Wegmans will be slightly smaller than the Hunt Valley store but larger than Maryland's other stores in Abingdon, Frederick and Lanham.

Excitement over the Columbia Wegmans continues to grow. A Facebook page dedicated to the new store has just over 800 followers as of this week.

Natale said the company is excited about the attention the new store is getting but was not surprised.

In recent years, there was much buzz as new stores opened in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Wegmans has built a fan base that runs the spectrum from bargain-hunters looking for store brands to gourmands willing to fork over big bucks for high-end items like truffles, exotic cheeses and dry-aged beef.

Under one roof, as the store says, shoppers can buy ingredients for cooking from scratch, pick up meals to go or eat-in at tables in a dining area.

The Hunt Valley Wegmans, the first in Maryland, opened in October 2005. Since then, the company has received hundreds of requests for a Columbia store, according to Natale.

“We’re especially excited about Columbia because we’ve had so many requests to put a store there,” she said. “It became one of the most requested markets for us.”

Comments made last month on a about the Columbia Wegmans show mixed opinions among Patch readers.

“I live in Columbia and drive to Hunt Valley just to shop at Wegmans whenever I can," wrote 'Amanda in Columbia.' "There's no comparison with other chains.”

Patch reader 'TS' wrote, “I've been to Wegmans a few times. A great store with lots of selection choices but not sure why there is all the hype.”

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