Hy-Vee ready to show off work

SYCAMORE – For Barbara Lieblick, a kitchen clerk at the Hy-Vee grocery store that opens today, it's been fun watching the store grow.

"It's very interesting to see the store go from basically nothing to what it is today," she said.

There was a buzz about the store Monday as employees prepared for the grand opening by decorating cookies and filling meat cases. Hy-Vee is set to open at 6 a.m. today.

At more than 93,000 square feet, the grocery store employs 470 people. About 40 of them are from other Hy-Vee stores; the rest are local residents, said Ric Jurgens, Hy-Vee's chief executive officer.

Prior to a meeting with the store's employees Monday, company officials touted the store's health market, which contains an assortment of bulk products, gluten-free choices and a registered dietitian; the Italian, Chinese and sushi kitchens with freshly prepared food; and the cheese shop, bakery area and chef station at the seafood and meat counters where shoppers can pick up cooking techniques.

The store also has a drive-up pharmacy, attached wine and liquor area, Caribou Coffee stand and features the NuVal system, which offers shoppers a simplified look at products' nutritional values through a scoring system, Jurgens said.

The company has 232 stores across eight states, Jurgens said, with just more than 58,000 employees and $7.1 billion in sales each year. Hy-Vee's slogan is "Easier. Healthier. Happier," and the company is "absolutely committed to that," he said, adding that customer service and friendliness are important to the employee-owned company.

"We hope the people in the greater Sycamore/DeKalb area feel welcome and feel like they belong here," Jurgens said.

The company made a $15 million investment with the store, including inventory and equipment, Jurgens said. About $9.2 million was spent to renovate the building. Hy-Vee President Randy Edeker said the company worked to salvage as much of the former Kmart building as possible.

"We don't think people focus on the floors. We think people focus on the food," Edeker said.

Company officials found the area attractive from the start, Jurgens said. Hy-Vee stores always do well in university towns, he said, and the demographics "really lines up perfectly for Hy-Vee."

"We fell in love with this community right away," Jurgens said.

Nate Stewart, the company's assistant vice president, said the community has welcomed the store with open arms. Store director Kerry Sherlock has been meeting people throughout the area, and the store has established an exclusive grocery deal with Northern Illinois University, he said.

"It's nerve-wracking to go to a new community because you hope people will like you, but it's been wonderful," Stewart said.

"We're going to do a lot of things to be involved in this community, I'll promise you that," Jurgens said.

Sherlock, who has been with Hy-Vee for more than 20 years, decides what the store carries, Jurgens said, because he knows the community.

"What's going to work in Sycamore, Illinois, is not necessarily what's going to work in West Des Moines, Iowa," Sherlock said, referring to the location of the company's headquarters.

Grocery aisles were stocked and produce was organized neatly Monday in preparation for the opening. Sherlock said it's been amazing to see the store come together in the final weeks. He highlighted Hy-Vee's service-oriented nature, from checkout lanes that are all manned by an employee to the cheese shop layout with staff available to answer questions.

"You can have the best facility, but if you don't have the best people, it's all for naught," Sherlock said.

If you go
Hy-Vee opens at 6 a.m. today and is open 24 hours. Hy-Vee Gas is manned by an employee from 5 a.m.-11 p.m., but gas is available for purchase 24 hours a day.