Mooresville, NC, Apr. 13--Lowe's Companies, Inc. plans to open a new regional office in Pensacola, FL.
Lowe's Region 23 office will house approximately 13 employees. The company worked closely with the City of Pensacola and Enterprise Florida in negotiating the deal to locate the new offices in northwest Florida.
"Lowe's strong and growing presence in our state demonstrates the value of Florida's business-friendly climate and top-notch workforce," said Enterprise Florida President and CEO Darrell Kelley. "We thank Lowe's for its continued investment in Florida and look forward to contributing to the company's success for years to come."
Pensacola Mayor John Fogg added that Lowe's decision further establishes the city as an area that is attractive for business growth. "Lowe's decision demonstrates Pensacola's appeal as a strategic location in the southeastern marketplace and it brings a dynamic corporate citizen to the heart of our revitalized downtown," said Mayor Fogg. "The staffs from Lowe's, Enterprise Florida, the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission and the City are to be commended for working together to make this a reality."
Lowe's Region 23 offices will support the company's growing store base in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. As part of its aggressive expansion plan, Lowe's will open 140 new stores nationwide this year and 150 new stores in fiscal 2005.
In Florida, Lowe's operates 61 stores and employs more than 9,700 people. In addition, the company has seven stores and a distribution center under construction in the Sunshine State.
"Florida will continue to play a key part in Lowe's aggressive expansion plans over the next several years," said Lowe's Regional Vice President Debbie Singletary. "As our store base grows, so does the need for our corporate staff to support those regional operations. We are delighted to be locating this new office in an area and state that share in our vision and goals for economic growth in which we can all benefit."
