On Friday,
July 12, Starbucks will open a new store in Jonesboro as part of
the company’s ongoing initiative to support economic development
in diverse, underserved areas of the country.
Each
location, including the store in Jonesboro, aims to support the community by
creating new jobs, engaging minority-owned businesses
and collaborating with local nonprofits
to support and create needed opportunities for the community.
Since launching the initiative in 2015, Starbucks has opened 13 other stores
across the country in Jamaica in Queens, New York; Ferguson, Missouri; Phoenix,
Arizona; Englewood in the southside of Chicago; east Baltimore; Long Beach,
California; Trenton, New Jersey; White Center in south Seattle; Miami Gardens,
Florida; Birmingham, Alabama; Dallas, Texas; Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, New York;
and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Local Jobs
The new Starbucks
in Jonesboro has created 28 local jobs by hiring partners (employees) from the
area. Hiring local partners is an
important part of Starbucks strategy to support economic development and build
stronger connections with the community. Both qualifying
full-time and part-time partners at the Jonesboro store will able to take
advantage of the company’s leading benefits, including full health care
coverage and equity in the form of stock; the Starbucks College Achievement
Plan, which gives partners the opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree from
Arizona State University with full tuition reimbursement; and more.
“This
store is the first of its kind in Georgia and our partners are eager to create
relationships and a hub for connection in Jonesboro,” said Derrick Pratt,
regional vice president of Southeast Operations for Starbucks. “We believe
businesses like ours have a responsibility to help drive real human impact in
the communities we serve – and we’ve found that what’s good for the communities
we serve is also good for business.”
Working with Minority-Owned Businesses and Artists
As with each of its Community
Stores around the country, Starbucks worked with a minority-owned general
contractor to build the store. The store also features pieces from local artist
and Tanzanian-Nigerian creative Marryam Moma whose collage art in the store celebrates
Atlanta’s rich cultural heritage of human connection, empowerment and beauty.
“The local community and
so many non-profit organizations have worked diligently to create fertile
ground for visual artists like myself to flourish and thrive,” said Moma. “My
artistic inspiration today is derived from all the culture, public art
installations, several exhibits and shows around the city and building
connections and nurturing friendships with other artists in the community.”
Community Connections
We aim to engage our local communities
through our partners (employees), dream big about what we can accomplish, and
celebrate local events and projects. Like other community stores, the new
location in Jonesboro will include a dedicated space where local non-profit
collaborators, led by the United Way of Greater Atlanta, can organize and
deliver workforce development seminars with a focus on wrap-around services for
Opportunity Youth in the community.
“This partnership between United Way of
Greater Atlanta and Starbucks is significant to the Jonesboro community as it
will create local jobs for young adults and provide more resources to ensure
there is an opportunity for all to thrive,” said Michele Jacobs, Director of
Youth Development at United Way of Greater Atlanta.
Other community organizations can also
use the space to support their programs that give back to the local area and
people. That includes additional workforce training programs to group
gatherings. In collaboration with United Way of Greater Atlanta, our partners
will also join the Child Well-Being Movement to engage and bring together
people and resources in Jonesboro to drive lasting improvements in the
well-being of children, families and the communities that surround them.
By
providing partners, community organizations, and non-profits with the resources
and inspiration to own the engagement in the Jonesboro store, Starbucks can
build lasting relationships with community members and organizations and leave
a long-term impact on the neighborhood.
