Las Vegas NowNew Home Depot Adds 100 Jobs to Las Vegas Economy

New Home Depot Adds 100 Jobs to Las Vegas Economy

With record high unemployment, next week's grand opening of a new Home Depot store in North Las Vegas is welcome news for the economy.

For most of the 100 new employees, this is their first time back at work after several months of unemployment.

The new Home Depot near I-215 and Losee is the largest of the 12 now in the market. It represents a more than $20 million investment in the community, which like the rest of the nation, is in the midst of a nasty recession.

But Home Depot says it didn't get where it is today by only looking backward. The president of Home Depot's western division has come to town to oversee the grand opening of the store. Joe McFarlane admits the store faces economic challenges as well as opportunities in the months ahead. “These last 18 to 24 months, everyone has struggled. We're not unique,” he said. “But you fast forward three to five years, and I think this market will rebound and that there is so much potential still here.”

New store manager David Cabrera says North Las Vegas' high foreclosure rate represents an opportunity for Home Depot to provide affordable home renovation products and services. “There is a lot of opportunity here and we know that and this is a great investment for the community also,” he said.

And with this investment comes more than 110 new jobs to a valley that is still experiencing record unemployment. “A very small percentage of these hires were second jobs. The majority were unemployed and we were able to get a lot of people with construction backgrounds,” said Cabrera.

Brandon Irvin, a young father of four, landed a job as a sales associate in the plumbing department. “I was looking for anything because I've been laid off for over a year,” he said.

But just like the western division president who worked his way up in the company as a sales associate 16 years ago, Brandon and his boss see nothing but the potential for growth ahead. “Every month it gets a little better. We still see negative but less negative, and I think less negative is the new positive,” he said.

The official grand opening celebration takes place November 18th and 19th. The store is still looking to hire another 10 to 15 sales associates that are both part time and full time with benefits and bonuses.