Business roundup: Venue at Belden to add Burlington store later this year

PLAIN TWP. – An open slot in The Venue at Belden should be filled by this fall.

Work already has started to convert the former Stein Mart store into a new location for Burlington Stores. The clothing retailer will relocate from the Belden Village Commons shopping plaza off Everhard Road NW.

The move in is line with Burlington's decision to shrink the size of its stores. The Burlington, New Jersey-based retailer has developed a store format for a 25,000-square-foot space.

In a conference call with stock analysts in March, President and Chief Executive Officer Micheal O'Sullivan said the smaller format increases the number of potential sites for Burlington stores, which means the chain can open profitable stores in more locations around the country.

Burlington's long-term goal is to have 2,000 stores nationwide. The company plans to open 100 locations this year, with 25 of them being re-locations.

Stein Mart filed for bankruptcy in August and began liquidating its stores nationwide. The store in The Venue was among the original new tenants in 2016 after DeVille Developments partnered with Rodney Napier to renovate the plaza.

It's expected the new Burlington location will be open in September, making the plaza fully leased, said Robert Brown, director of operations for DeVille.

"This will be a good co-tenant for T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods," Brown said.

Meanwhile, on the west side of Whipple Avenue NW across from The Venue, DeVille Developments is finalizing plans for a third building on the tract that once was home to 77 Colonial Lanes bowling alley.

Farmer's Bank will have a branch in half of the building, Brown said. The company still is working with potential tenants for the other half. Duluth Trading Co. and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers are in two other buildings at the site.

Utica Midstream lineup set

Jason Stechschulte, business development manager for MPLX, will be a key speaker at the ninth annual Utica Midstream Summit.

"The big thing for us in 2021 in terms of strategy is optimizing all our assets," said Stechschulte, who has been a presenting fixture at the conference. "Given the difficulty with permitting new pipelines, optimizing includes actions like adding new pumping stations."

More about Utica Midstream:Register for the event at the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce website.

The May 20 event is presented by Shale Directories and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn Belden Village. The daylong program opens at 7:30 a.m. 

Stechschulte will discuss capital discipline at MPLX and the company’s commitment to continuous improvement of environmental, social and corporate governance. Marathon Petroleum formed MPLX in 2021 to own, operate, develop and acquire pipelines, storage facilities and other midstream assets.

Joe McGinn, vice president of public affairs and government relations for Energy Transfer, and Emma Curtis, community and project outreach specialist for Williams Cos., also will offer presentations.

The political landscape in Washington and Columbus will be reviewed by Christina Polesovsky, associate director the American Petroleum Institute in Ohio. The International Union of Operating Engineers and the Pipeline Contractors Association will address labor development and training programs.

To register for the programs, visit https://www.cantonchamber.org.

Buehler's aids Harvest for Hunger

The Buehler's Fresh Foods grocery chain raised more than $172,000 to help community food banks during its Harvest for Hunger campaign.

The funds translate into 689,952 meals, the company said. The Wooster-based company has stores in Jackson Township and Green.

Paul Stefaniuk, vice president of operations, said all of the company's stores exceeded  goals and raised the most donations since the campaign started 14 years ago.

"We thank the (Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank) and their outstanding team who work hard to battle food insecurity every day,” Stefaniuk said. He also thanked customers for supporting the campaign with their donations.