The Marietta Dollar Tree Distribution Center was set to close after a tornado tore through the 1 million-square-foot facility in April. About 450 people were employed at the time.
However, it will return to the area and is expected to be completed in spring 2027, bringing 400 jobs back with it. At the facility's groundbreaking ceremony, Marietta Mayor Destry Rushing said he had family and friends who worked for Dollar Tree, and he hopes it will bring financial stability to people in the area.
"You don't have to chase dreams elsewhere. When you have something this size, this close to town, you don't have to go way off for a good job," Rushing said. "So, it makes a difference."
The new center comes as Ardmore, Marietta's northern neighbor, is experiencing job losses in the area. A Michelin Tire Plant is winding down operations, AAF Flanders, an air filtration manufacturer, is shuttering its site and a proposed hydrogen production will not move forward.
Rushing wants the job market and the municipality to grow so more can be done for the community.
"But I'm just excited to see the jobs come back," Rushing said. "That's a big part of it. So, it's going to help."
David Peaco, Dollar Tree shift manager, was there when the tornado struck. He said there are a lot of people who have to commute long distances to make money and rearrange their lives to accommodate a different job.
"I'd like to see all the people come back to Dollar Tree that were here – to be able to work with familiar faces again," Peaco said. "So, I'm looking forward to it."
Public officials, including Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, Sen. James Lankford, R-OK, and Gov. Kevin Stitt, were in attendance at the ceremony. Mike Creedon, Dollar Tree CEO, said it was the company's largest center. He said the distribution center served 800 stores, about 200 more stores than the average facility.
Although the center's location off Interstate 35 is enticing, he said, people are the main reason they are back.
"But make no mistake, the reason we're rebuilding here is because the people of Marietta and the surrounding area that ran the best distribution center, that will run our best distribution center when we get this thing out of the ground, it is our people, is the main reason we're back," Creedon said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
