Ground broken on new BJ’s in Sandy-battered Gravesend; store will create 300 jobs
Just weeks after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Thor Equities and BJ’s Wholesale Club broke ground today on a massive new BJ’s Wholesale Club retail destination on Shore Parkway, in Sandy-battered Gravesend, Brooklyn. Joe Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities and Dan Smith, District Manager of BJ’s Wholesale Club were joined by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, New York City Councilman Domenic Recchia and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura, to officially put shovels in the ground and make the case that Brooklyn was back in business.
“This project is going to bring jobs and economic vitality to the neighborhood and help support an economic boom fueled by commercial real estate development across the borough,” said Joseph Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities. “All of us understand that its going to take a lot of time and a lot of investment to get this borough back to where it needs to be in the aftermath of Sandy, but let this groundbreaking serve as a down payment on all of our commitment to rebuild, reinvest, and revitalize Brooklyn.”
“Bravo to Joe Sitt and BJ’s, you are raising the bar for how businesses should be run. By moving up the construction time table and creating 300 well-paying jobs, they are helping to drive the economic recovery in south Brooklyn – especially in nearby Coney Island – one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the storm”, said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – Hurricane Sandy may have battered our city, but as Brooklynites, we will rebuild, rebound, and rejoice – and today’s ground breaking is proof of that.”