Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA will celebrate the grand opening of its newest retail training store and donation drive-through at Grovetown’s Gateway Center This Friday, May 13.

A VIP reception, in conjunction with the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, will be held at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 13, at 4019 Gateway Blvd. The store will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. to officially open to the public.

Goodwill’s newest store, the westernmost expansion for Goodwill in the CSRA, provides 17,000 square feet of retail, donation and processing space convenient to residents of the fast-growing Grovetown and Fort Gordon area. An additional 4,400 square feet of space in the building is reserved for construction of a career center, with satellite services provided by Helms College, planned for a 2017 opening as donations and retail store sales generate sufficient revenue to support completion of the facility.

“Each year, Goodwill provides life-changing career services and Helms College programs to more than 25,000 individuals in our community through funding from our retail training stores, contract services and hospitality operations,” said James K. Stiff, President of Goodwill. “Goodwill’s symbiotic growth with the Grovetown area reflects our effort to provide a convenient location where residents can see their donated goods turned into careers that support families and strengthen our community.”

Grovetown’s Goodwill will be operated by 35 full- and part-time employees, all receiving Goodwill’s Retail and Customer Service training for National Retail Federation certification.