Wegmans To Conduct Hiring Through BLDG 92 And Local NYCHA Houses

Yesterday’s news that a Wegmans supermarket will open in 2017 on the Admiral’s Row site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard had residents in a tizzy over the popular chain’s affordable prices, quality foodstuffs, and high employee morale. And it’s that last part — employee morale and strong employer-employee relations — that Wegmans and the Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) plan to put particular emphasis on.

“The first two weeks of hiring will be done exclusively through the Navy Yard’s Employment Center,” said Richard Drucker, executive vice president of external affairs, to the crowd gathered at Wednesday night’s Community Board 2 meeting — a statement that echoed BNYDC President David Ehrenberg’s comment to the New York Times.

In addition, BNYDC “will be opening satellite employment offices in NYCHA houses,” Drucker continued, noting that this is part of a commitment to focus hiring on CB 2 residents in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout, Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights.

NYCHA complexes affected would, at the very least include Farragut, Ingersoll, Walt Whitman, and Lafayette Gardens.

Wegmans plans to bring in 200 full-time jobs and 600 total jobs — more than the average and more than its rivals.

“People need not just good food, but good jobs,” said Danny Wegman, third-generation CEO of the company, to the Times. “Brooklyn provides an incredible opportunity for both.”

There is no word yet on when hiring will begin, but it would presumably begin closer to the 2017 opening date.

Asked whether there are plans to also incorporate a shuttle service or some other form of transportation to make commuting to and from the store easier (the nearest subway station is the F at York Street in DUMBO), Drucker said that “it’s too early to tell.”