Home Depot construction begins

By Jennifer Thomas

- jthomas@centredaily.com

Construction on the Home Depot is finally under way.

After months of prep work, walls of the structure have started going up at the intersection of Valley Vista Drive and North Atherton Street in Patton Township.

That’s good news for all of you eager for details on the home improvement retailer’s arrival, because the company is now ready to share.

“We are very excited to be coming to State College, as this is our first store in the market,” wrote Jen King, a senior communications manager for the company’s northern division, in an e-mail.

The company is hoping for an early summer 2008 opening, she added.

She said plans are for a 102,500-square-foot store with a 28,000-square-foot garden center.

It’s also going to mean about 150 to 200 new jobs, both full- and part-time.

There are plans for additional small retail stores on that lot, but no tenants have yet been named.

Charley’s reopens in mall

Charley’s Steakery has reopened in the Nittany Mall after being gone for a little more than a year.

But don’t expect the same old sandwich shop, new owner Alex Zappas said.

“We are so much more than just steaks,” he said, as employees eagerly awaited the first customer after reopening on Wednesday.

The menu has been tweaked to represent a more health-conscious society, Zappas said. Trans fats are gone, but the hand-cut fries remain. Low-carb wraps, six low-fat sandwiches with less than 6 grams of fat and salads are mingled in with the Philly and chicken cheesesteaks.

“It’s a whole new menu, but a lot of the favorites are here,” he said.

He said Charley’s also does catering, such as party platters.

Zappas, who owns three other Charley’s locations in the Pittsburgh area, said the local eatery will have Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions to “enhance the whole experience.”

He has plans for limited delivery, including to the other businesses within the mall.

The restaurant can be reached at 308-8104.

Veterans preference

Dan Hawbaker has a soft spot for Army veterans — after all, he’s one himself.

These days, his company Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., is one of many across the nation that aims to give those veterans priority when it comes to hiring through an agreement with the Army’s Partnership for Youth program.

“We believe very strongly in veterans,” Hawbaker said.

The program aims to help qualified young soldiers who are returning from active duty find jobs. It also gives them the advantage of their military service time counting toward years of service on the job.

Hawbaker said the Army helps develop strong, focused individuals that can be an asset in positions across his company. “They do some of the basic training that maybe isn’t taught in high school and other places,” he said.

Cleveland Brothers is the only other Centre County company with direct ties to the program, according to Major Jonathan Miller, who is commander of recruiting operations for central Pennsylvania.

He said Sheetz and Weis Markets have indirect ties.

For more information, visit www.ArmyPaYS.com. Jennifer Thomas can be reached at 231-4638.