If you thought it was tough to get into an Ivy League university, consider the lineup for jobs at the new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market store that is preparing to open on Fort Worth's south side.
It received 700 applications for 32 cashier positions, said store manager Jessica French. And more than 500 applied for 25 overnight shelf-stocking jobs, said French, 31, a Fort Worth native who attended Fossil Creek High School."It tells me people are still looking for jobs," she said. In all, the store will employ 150 people, with 48 percent full time. So far, the world's largest retailer has hired 122. The remaining 28, including five or six full-time workers, will be hired in the next week or so. For information, call 817-840-0262.The 40,500-square-foot store, which opens April 19 at 717 W. Berry St. at Hemphill Street, has a somewhat different exterior and large windows to appease local critics, who wanted Wal-Mart to leave more green space for a small park. Inside, there will be a commodity "island" dedicated to bulk sales of rice and beans to cater to the area's concentration of Hispanic shoppers.Hydradyne arrivingA major distributor of industrial equipment has relocated its headquarters from New Orleans to Fort Worth's CentrePort business park south of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.Hydradyne, which distributes and services fluid power equipment, will have more than 100 employees in its new 175,000-square-foot facility at 15050 FAA Blvd. The privately held company is owned by Randall Rollins, the Atlanta businessman who is chairman of Rollins Inc., a Fortune 500 company that owns Orkin and other pest-control services. Hydradyne is the largest distributor for Parker Hannifin.Hydradyne decided to move to North Texas because much of the company's growth is occurring in Texas, said spokeswoman Sherri Smith. The company is planning a grand opening event at its new headquarters next month.-- Steve Kaskovich'Math of Cities'TV's sitcom series The Big Bang Theory has brought the concept of theoretical physics to the masses. But Dr. Geoffrey West, a theoretical physicist with the Santa Fe Institute, will break down how it relates to cities at the upcoming 31st annual meeting of Downtown Fort Worth Inc.West, also an associate fellow of the Said Business School at Oxford University, will talk about "The Surprising Math of Cities."He was a founder of the high-energy physics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory.The luncheon meeting will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 28 at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel, 200 Main St.Individual tickets are $85 for Downtown Fort Worth Inc. members and $100 for nonmembers. Reservations are due Thursday to Becky Bethel at 817-870-1692 or at becky@dfwi.org.Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727sabaker@star-telegram.comJim Fuquay, 817-390-7552jfuquay@star-telegram.comBarry Shlachter, 817-390-7718barry@star-telegram.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
