New Sam's Club Opens in St. Tammany Parish

COVINGTON, La., Oct. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Covington Sam's Club will open Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 8:30 a.m. in West St. Tammany Parish's River Chase development, located at 69630 Stirling Blvd. With a convenient location near I-12 and services including a fuel station and pharmacy, the new club will bring a unique shopping experience to local residents.

The grand opening ceremony, led by Covington Sam's Club Manager Chris Cuevas, will feature local dignitaries and special appearances as community officials cut the ribbon to signify the club's opening. Cuevas, who began his career with Sam's Club in 1997 and has held a management position previously at the Houma, La., Sam's Club, has overseen the hiring of 180 new Sam's Club associates for the Covington club, bringing new jobs and growth opportunities to the West St. Tammany Parish community.

"We're happy to welcome our new neighbor, Sam's Club, to our area," said Covington Mayor Mike Cooper. "Sam's Club supplies great values for home and business shoppers in a convenient location, and also features rewarding career opportunities with the addition of more than 180 new jobs. They are a welcome addition to our community."

Hiring for the new club began shortly before Hurricane Isaac moved through South Louisiana. The 30 associates hired up to the August storm volunteered to help hurricane recovery efforts through the Red Cross.

After many local restaurants flooded during the hurricane, leaders of the area's popular Wooden Boat Festival looked to the new Sam's Club to provide food for its volunteers. Cuevas said his team was excited to immediately engage in the community.

"Covington is a friendly and tradition-rich community, and we appreciate the warm welcome from Mayor Cooper and many, many others in the community," Cuevas said. "We have a talented group of associates who were hired locally, and I'm excited about the long-term relationships we are building in the community."

Sam's Club to Give $45,000 to Local Organizations

Sam's Club has a longstanding commitment to give back to the communities it serves, and the new Covington club is no different. In addition to a $20,000 grant to The Children's Museum of St. Tammany, associates from the local club have selected several local organizations to receive a total of $25,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation.

Those organizations include the Blackhawk Flight Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Covington, Covington Rotary Foundation, Food Bank of Covington, Guitars in the Classroom, Little Citizens Big Change, Louisiana Association of the Deaf, Madisonville Elementary, Mandeville Lions Club, Northlake Nature Center, St. Tammany Parish Children's Advocacy, St. Tammany Parish Humane Society and St. Tammany Parish SALT Council.

The new Sam's Club will also help fight hunger in the area by making regular product donations to the Greater Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans. As part of a nationwide collaboration between Sam's Club and Feeding America, Sam's Club donated more than 13 million pounds of food to Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity.

The Covington Sam's Club is the third new club opened in southern Louisiana this year, following a club opening in Baton Rouge in January and Denham Springs in June, and will be the 13^th Sam's Club in Louisiana.  Along with parent company Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Sam's Club employs more than 35,000 associates in Louisiana and collected more than $477 million in state and local taxes through sales in 2011. The Walmart Foundation and Sam's Club Giving Program contributed $15.8 million to Louisiana non-profit organizations last year.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation's eighth largest retailer and a leading Membership warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than 47 million Members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. To learn more about Savings Made Simple^®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on Twitter, Facebook and on mobile and iPad® apps. 

SOURCE Sam’s Club