Friday the 13th was Owasso's lucky day. After more than two years of courting the national retailer, Best Buy opened Friday morning with a crowd of more than 200 residents waiting to get inside.
Justin Morgans, second from the right, and Luke Westerfield, cut the ribbon Friday morning as Best Buy's General Manager Jenna Dalessandro, left, looks on. More than 200 people gathered for the opening of the new store in Owasso.
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As part of the morning's events, Best Buy donated $500 to the Owasso High School athletic department. It also contributed $1,000 to Susan Zocher's class and provided $850 in gift cards to the students who coordinated the store's grand opening.Best Buy's General Manager Jenna Dalessandro had Owasso Mayor Stephen Cataudella present Owasso Community Resources with $10,000. OCR's Executive Director Jeannette North acccepted the check. The funds will assist with OCR's outreach programs for children.Dalessandro said the store wants to support the community in any way it can.The 30,000 sq. ft. store will employ approximately 100. Dalessandro is the general manager.The big-box chain specializes in computers, wireless technology, mobile electronics, appliances and hoame theater technology.The store offers delivery and installation for large appliances and home theater systems, home theater demonstration rooms and custom designs and technology support and repair specialists.Best Buy in Owasso is the seventh store in the state. The Minneapolis-based electronics and appliance retailer opened its first location in Oklahoma in 1992.Rickey Hayes, Owasso economic development director, had talked to almost everyone in the company's corporate offices.Once corporate officials took a closer look at the material a conference call was set up and the process began rolling."We were able to help them understand Owasso has a market of more than 1 million people," Hayes said.The store is located at 9055 N. 121st St. in the Smith Farm Marketplace.
©Neighbor Newspapers 2006
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