Target aims for local managers
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Target Corp. is hiring management-level employees for three stores it plans to open in Hawaii in 2009.
David Neisen, Target's senior executive recruiter, has been fielding hundreds of applications and going to job fairs and college campuses. He spoke before the Rotary Club of Honolulu yesterday afternoon, saying that the company wants to recruit locally.
Each store hires about 15 managers and between 250 to 300 employees. Salaries for management level employees begin at $55,000.
Target is planning to open stores in Salt Lake and Kapolei in March of 2009 and another store in Kona in July 2009.
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Target Corp. is actively recruiting management-level employees for three stores that are expected to open in Hawaii in 2009.
The Minneapolis-based upscale discounter is opening stores in Salt Lake, Kapolei and Kona on the Big Island. Already, 11 management-level employees have been hired, according to David Neisen, senior executive recruiter for Target. He spoke about Target to the Rotary Club of Honolulu yesterday afternoon.
Target has been actively recruiting in Hawaii by visiting college campuses, including Hawaii Pacific University, the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Chaminade University as well as at job fairs. Approximately 15 managers are usually hired per Target store to oversee between 250 to 300 employees.
"I'm definitely surprised with the level of talent we've seen on campus and externally," said Neisen, himself a 11-year Target veteran who started with a part-time job in high school.
The company is looking for candidates with four-year college degrees as well as good leadership and people skills, said Neisen. Training can take between six months to two years in Seattle and Portland.
Starting salaries for management levels at Target in Hawaii will begin at $55,000. Hourly wages have not been determined yet, he said, but will also be competitive.
The company hopes to attract college graduates with competitive salaries. Base salaries for store team leaders can reach between $80,000 to $100,000 a year, he said, plus bonuses.
In June, Target announced it would open a store at the former Costco Wholesale site in tandem with its store at Kapolei Commons in March 2009. It is also expected to open as the anchor of Kona Commons, a regional open-air mall on the Big Island, in July 2009.
The MacNaughton Group, in partnership with the Kobayashi Group, is building Kona Commons as well as Kapolei Commons.
The Target Hawaii stores are expected to measure about 160,000 square feet, some of which will be devoted to storeroom space.
No SuperTarget stores, thus far, are planned in Hawaii.
Target is on an expansion track. In October, Target announced it would hold grand openings for 61 target stores from California to New Jersey and Florida. Target has for years aimed to expand to Hawaii and Alaska.
To date, only three states have no Target stores -- among them are Hawaii, Alaska and Vermont.
Target owns, rather than leases, the majority of its stores across the U.S., which number about 1,500. It also owns the buildings at its corporate headquarters in Minneapolis.
"We are very methodical about what we do," said Neisen. "We would certainly want to make sure we make our transition to Hawaii and Alaska the right way."
Neisen said he felt Target would be a good fit for Hawaii because of its philosophy of community involvement and philanthropy. Target typically donates 5 percent of its pre-tax profits to charities, which adds up to about $3 million a week, with a focus on arts, education and family violence prevention. It has partnerships with the Salvation Army and Red Cross as well.
Each store manager can determine independently which non-profits it wants to contribute to in the immediate community, he said.
Target is also making efforts to be "green" by recycling garment hangers and cardboard, as well as refurbishing broken shopping carts. Four stores in California are now outfitted with solar panels, according to Neisen, though it is unknown whether that will be considered for its Hawaii stores at this time.