LINWOOD — Dollar General’s newest store at 9929 Old Salisbury Road in Linwood is now open.

“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our area customers will enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.”

The new store will include all the usual low-priced items, including national name brands and private brands of food, housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, basic apparel and health and beauty products. Additionally, the new store will have on-trend home decor and a party preparation selection.

Traditional Dollar General stores employ about six to 10 people, according to a news release.

 

HomeGoods to open in Salisbury on March 22

SALISBURY — HomeGoods, an off-price home décor store, will open an approximately 22,000 square-foot store on March 22. The new store will be located in the Rowan Summit Shopping Center at 125 Tingle Drive, Suite 500.

HomeGoods provides a selection of high-quality merchandise with prices generally 20%-60% below full-price retailers’ regular prices on comparable merchandise. From top brands and designers to finds from all over the world, HomeGoods offers a selection in countless styles for every room of the house.

“Our amazing values, brand names, and vast assortment make HomeGoods an exciting destination for shoppers,” said John Ricciuti, president of HomeGoods. “With a large variety of special merchandise from around the world, customers will always find something thrilling in our treasure hunt environment at great values. We are happy to provide Salisbury with a local HomeGoods.”

HomeGoods merchandise departments include furniture, rugs, lighting, decorative accessories, kitchen and dining, bedding, bath, kids’ décor and toys, pet accessories, storage, workspace, outdoor, gourmet and wellness products.

HomeGoods expects to fill approximately 65 full-time and part-time positions.

Regular store hours are Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The special Grand Opening Day hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

U.S. EPA certifies North Carolina company among most energy-efficient plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that 95 U.S. manufacturing plants earned ENERGY STAR certification for being among the most energy-efficient plants in their industries during 2019.

Among those is Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc. Gastonia, which is a commercial bread and roll baking company.

Compared to average facilities, these plants saved $520 million on energy bills and nearly 100 trillion British thermal units (Tbtu) of energy, enough to meet the annual energy needs of almost 670,000 American households. Through superior energy efficiency performance, these manufacturing plants also significantly reduced air pollution, avoiding over 6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

“The magnitude of these plants’ savings indicates that manufacturers in the United States have a lot to gain by investing in energy efficiency,” said Anne Idsal, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “Energy management is a win/win: saving money for manufacturers and protecting our environment.”

ENERGY STAR plant certification is available for 20 manufacturing sectors. Plants use industry-specific performance indicators to assess how their energy use compares to plants with similar operating characteristics. Plants with verified energy performance within the top 25% of similar plants in an industry are eligible for ENERGY STAR certification. In 2019, EPA updated its Energy Performance Indicators (EPIs) in cement, frozen fried potato, and cookie and cracker manufacturing plants through close work with the industries and as a result of energy efficiency gains across these sectors. It also released EPIs for the nitrogenous fertilizer and fluid dairy manufacturing sectors.

Plants from the automotive, baking, cement, corn refining, food processing, glass manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, fertilizer manufacturing and petroleum refining sectors are among those that qualified for certification in 2019.

Wells Fargo to increase hourly pay in majority of U.S. markets

SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo & Company announced on March 4 plans to raise the minimum hourly pay levels in a majority of its U.S. markets. Minimum pay will be tiered based on various factors, including the cost of living in different markets, with the minimum hourly pay ranging from $15 to $20 based on employee location. The pay increases will take effect by the end of 2020.

“Companies have an obligation to help communities and employees reach their potential. An important part of this is ensuring we are doing our part to pay employees at a rate which recognizes the difference in cost of living across the country,” said CEO Charlie Scharf. “Our employees are our most valuable resource, and these pay increases are just one way we are investing in our people and ensuring that Wells Fargo continues to be a great place to work.”

The change will increase pay for more than 20,000 U.S.-based employees. The amount of the hourly increase takes into account the cost of living in each Wells Fargo market. For example, employees working in the cities of New York or San Francisco will receive a minimum hourly pay rate of $20, while employees in Charlotte or Des Moines will receive a minimum of $16 per hour. Wells Fargo will also evaluate the hourly pay for employees whose pay is at or near the new minimum hourly wages announced on March 4. In recent years, Wells Fargo has increased its minimum hourly base pay in the U.S. by 32%, most recently to $15 in March 2018.

This year, the company made changes to make healthcare more affordable for all U.S-based employees at the lower part of the pay range by lowering or keeping premiums flat for about 70% of employees. Wells Fargo pays on average 84% of total annual healthcare premiums for its U.S.-based employees who earn less than $40,000 annually, which equates to approximately $5,700 and $16,600 for individuals and families, respectively.

Earlier this year, Restricted Share Rights vested for employees across the globe who received awards in 2018. The company had awarded these Restricted Share Rights to 250,000 employees, recognizing their contributions and commitment to Wells Fargo and its customers and clients. This investment amounts to approximately $2,400 pre-tax per full-time employee at the time of vesting.