Dollar General Corporation, a national retailer with more than 10,000 stores, will locate its new distribution center in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The $100 million project is expected to create more than 500 direct positions and 75 indirect trucking jobs.
“My goal is simple: to make sure there is a job out there for every Pennsylvanian who wants one,” Governor Tom Corbett said. “Our effort to bring Dollar General to Berks County means that 500 people will have the opportunity to earn a paycheck.”
The company will build a 900,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution center in Berks Park 78, a new industrial park in Bethel Township.
“This distribution center is an investment in the growth of our company, as well as the state of Pennsylvania and Bethel Township,” said Dollar General Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling. “Dollar General opened its first store in the Keystone state in 1974, and we are proud to have contributed to its economic growth by creating jobs for nearly four decades.”
Dollar General received a $2.2 million funding offer from the Department of Community and Economic Development, including a $1 million PA First grant, $225,000 in job training assistance and $1 million in Job Creation Tax Credits.
The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, a group of economic development professionals housed within the Department of Community and Economic Development. The team worked with the Berks County Industrial Development Authority to bring Dollar General’s new distribution facility to Pennsylvania.
“Landing Dollar General at Berks Park 78 was made possible by a team of dedicated professionals and public officials,” Berks County Industrial Development Authority Executive Director Thomas C. McKeon said. “They put the financing, infrastructure, local incentives and permitting in place that allowed us to compete like we never have before with a true shovel-ready site. We couldn’t be any more excited to welcome this great company and look forward to the jobs and economic benefit they’ll bring to our region.”
