The city of Platteville will save big money once they shop the newly opened Menards. Menards opened on Nov. 5.

The store, which is 225,000 square feet, celebrates its grand opening on Nov. 7 and the store manager believes that it will be an asset to the city.

“Menards will help bring a lot of people to Platteville,” Steve Sargent, general manager of Menards, said.

Sargent believes that Menards will be good for the city’s economy and that it will give an “extra payroll for the city,” Sargent said.

There are three phases the store went through to get ready for the public, Sargent said. First, the construction phase, in which the store was built. The next step was the fixture stage, when electricans came in and the shelves were put together. Finally, there was the stock phase. This phase happened in the month prior to the store opening. The managers came in and started hiring. In this phase, merchandise was trucked in and employees stocked the shelves.

Sargent was not sure of the specific number of employees, but the managers will try to raise the number to 200 by spring. There are a good share of UW-Platteville students that work there, Sargent said.

Brittany Fishnick’s first day was Nov. 5. Fishnick, a junior criminal justice and psychology major, worked at Dubuque’s Menards six months prior to transferring to the Platteville store. She said she enjoys her job at Menards.

“I like interacting with guests and the co-workers get along really well,” Fishnick said.

Steven Brink is also a student at UW-P and is working at the new Menards. Brink, a sophomore business major, does millwork. Brink is a first-time employee of Menards.

“I really like it here,” Brink said.

Amy Pasch, a freshman education major, is also a first-time employee at Menards. Pasch, a cashier, says there are a lot of UW-P students working there and it gives her a special connection with them.

Many event promotions will be taking place throughout this week. UW-Madison Athletic Director Barry Alvarez appeared on Nov. 13. On Wednesday and Thursday there were free racing simulator rides, given in the No. 15 Menards Nextel Cup car. LeRoy Butler, a former Green Bay Packers All-Pro defensive back, will make an appearance from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 15. Bucky Badger will make an appearance from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday Nov. 18. Thursday to Sunday there will be a chainsaw carving done by John Cage.