Events

Easley, N.C. -- The new 138,000-sq.-ft. Sam’s Club in Easley Town Center Easley, N.C., celebrated its grand opening on June 27. Mayor Bagwell and Chamber of Commerce president Cindy Hopkins attended.

As part of the continuing celebration, University of South Carolina running back George Rogers will sign autographs on June 29.

WASHINGTON — Shop.org has elected six new members to its board of directors and re-elected three. Each member will serve a two-year term. 

The new members are Elaine Boltz, SVP of e-commerce, the TJX companies; Jill Braff, EVP of digital commerce, HSNi, Ivy Chin, SVP of e-commerce and omnichannel digital, Belk; Jason Goldberg, VP of commerce strategy, Razorfish; Kasey Lobaugh, principal and chief retail innovation officer, Deloitte Consulting; and Matthew Kaness, chief strategy officer, Urban Outfitters.

It seemed like everyone had a take on President Barack Obama’s big climate change speech this week and among them was Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., president and CEO Mike Duke.

Walmart had a comment from Duke ready to go less than an hour after the President concluded his remarks on Tuesday at Georgetown University. As expected, Duke applauded the president and his administration for their commitment to renewable energy and conservation and then piggybacked on the speech to tout Walmart’s own accomplishments and commitment to the renewable energy and conservation.

The Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark. hosted the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G last week, and this week the golf tournament gave regional charity Cancer Challenge its largest gift ever.

In honor of its 20th anniversary this week, the Cancer Challenge received a $100,000 contribution from Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.

Washington, D.C. – Neil Trautwein, VP and employee benefits policy counsel of the National Retail Federation, told a congressional panel today that retail and chain restaurant companies continue to have serious concerns about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and remain worried by the quickly approaching deadlines for full healthcare reform implementation, anticipated for January 2014.

New York – Investment firm Starboard Value, a shareholder in Office Depot, is foregoing a preliminary consent solicitation it filed against Office Depot in April in light of an order by the Delaware Chauncery Court for Office Depot to hold its annual meeting. Starboard Value had been pressing Office Depot to hold its annual meeting and commenced a consent solicitation to remove several existing directors in favor of Starboard's nominees.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation told a congressional panel that retail and chain restaurant companies continue to have serious concerns about the Affordable Care Act and remain worried by the quickly approaching deadlines for full health care reform implementation, anticipated for January 2014.

HAMPSTEAD, Md. — JoS. A. Bank Clothiers teamed up with the Gary Sinise Foundation to give suits to thousands of military veterans as they re-enter the civilian workforce.

Los Angeles - Sport Chalet said Tuesday it has launched its fourth-consecutive Treasure Hunt dive, which invites certified scuba divers to participate by diving to find six sunken treasure bars hidden in diving locations off the northern and southern California coasts and in a special marine destination in Arizona.

From June 25 to 18, Sport Chalet will release one clue every Tuesday and Thursday to help divers identify the secret locations of the six gold-painted treasure bars; clues will be posted online and in all participating Sport Chalet retail stores.

CONCORD, Mass. — Welch’s brought in food historian and Food Network star Alton Brown to celebrate Ephraim Wales Bull, the man who grew the first Concord grape in the mid-19th century.

In a ceremony at the company’s new headquarters in Concord, Mass., Welch’s and Brown honored Bull with the dedication of a freshly planted vineyard, grown from his original Concord grapevine, cultivated more than 160 years ago.