ALPENA – After searching for the right location in Alpena, Michigan-based sporting goods store MC Sports has settled on the former Staples building on M-32 as its new home and hopes to open in July.

Once some minor modifications are made to the site, inventory will begin to be shuttled in and about 25 new jobs will be created, including six to 12 full-time employees. MC Sports Vice President of Marketing Ed Rix said there has been interest in opening a location in Alpena for years, but it wasn’t until the Staples store closed that the project picked up steam. He said the company is excited to join the Alpena community.

“We have a strong Michigan heritage that goes back to 1946 in Grand Rapids and any time we have an opportunity to open in a Michigan community we are happy about it,” Rix said. “Alpena is a natural fit for us.”

Rix said the store will carry name brand hunting, fishing, workout and team sport gear, which caters to everyone.

“We will have a highly trained staff and brands that will work well for someone who may be a novice or a professional in any type of indoor or outdoor recreation,” Rix said. “We are excited about becoming a part of Alpena and we just think the location is a perfect fit for MC Sports and for our customers in and around Alpena.

The company currently has 74 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Iowa and intends to add more. Rix compared the company’s interest in Alpena to a family looking for a home that fits all of its needs and searching the market until the perfect fit was found. He said other locations in Alpena were considered, but the ideal place for the new store wasn’t found until Staples announced it was closing the Alpena store and the property became available.

“It was all about location, location, location and when Staples left it opened the door for us, so to speak,” Rix said. “The building is the perfect box-sized store which will work perfectly for us to display our products.”

Having products consumers desire is only one aspect of the MC Sports business plan. Rix said having employees that are educated properly is important and a lot of time and money is invested in making sure that is so.

“Our training and high level of customer service are big components culturally for us,” Rix said. “The investment we make in our employees we hope will equate to a better customer experience and service for the customer.”

Last year Aldi, a national grocer, had announced its intent to open a store in the Staples location but a deal never materialized and the search for another tenent resumed. Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Director Jim Klarich said the MC Sports news is welcome and he is pleased the owners of building and the company could reach a deal.

“I’d just like to say thank you to the owner of the building for all of his efforts in attracting another highly regarded regional retailer to our area,” Klarich said. “Thank you also to MC Sports for their investment in us and welcome to Alpena.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews. Read his blog, Upon Further Review … at www.thealpenanews.com.