Rite Aid’s opening of its first distribution center in 16 years — in Spartanburg, S.C. — was as big of an event for the community as it was for the company.

The $90 million project will bring 600 new jobs to the area over the next couple of year in serving over 1,000 stores in a dozen Southeast states. Overall, Rite Aid employs 1,531 people at the 900,000-square-foot distribution center and its 91 stores in South Carolina.

“At Rite Aid, we believe in investing in the communities that we operate in,” Rite Aid chairman and CEO John Standley told WSPA-TV News (CBS) at the event.

Approximately 250 people have been hired for the new Spartanburg distribution center so far, Rite Aid senior vice president of supply chain Wilson Lester told WSPA-TV.

South Carolina state officials attending the grand opening on Wednesday included Bobby Hitt, secretary of commerce, and Alan Wilson, attorney general.

The event also saw The Rite Aid Foundation present a $25,000 donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Upstate. The donation will expand and support the programs and services offered by the Club at Mary H. Wright Elementary School.

“We’re going to have a lot of Boys & Girls Club parents who come to work here, so they’re going to do better,” said Greg Tolbert, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Upstate. “And we’re going to keep their kids safe while they’re here at work, giving them the ability to work with peace of mind.”

*Video courtesy of CBS WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, S.C.