West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton cut the ribbon on the new Goodwill store in West Columbia,

Wednesday afternoon. Many West Columbia officials, and members of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce were on hand with Goodwill administration and staff for the ribbon-cutting.

And at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina will open the doors to its new Midlands headquarters at 2119 Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia.

The 35,000 square foot facility will house a Goodwill retail store, donation center, outlet store, Goodwill Job Connection and administrative offices. The retail store and Job Connection will open at9 a.m. on Thursday, June 30 while the outlet store will open on Thursday, July 7.

A total of 37 Goodwill associates will work in the new retail location, including 23 new positions and 14 associates who are transferring from other Midlands locations.

This location will include the ninth Job Connection in the Midlands and the first in West Columbia. Goodwill Job Connections provide free assistance to help job seekers connect with potential employers and find permanent employment. Services include access to resources like computers and the Internet, fax machines, telephones, and job leads and referrals. A trained employment specialist is on site to assist individuals with their job search.

Goodwill also provides job training programs to help people gain the skills needed to begin careers in manufacturing, food service, retail, call centers, cleaning management, and as Certified Nurse Aides. The Job Connection will have a training room that can be used for industry-specific programs and job fairs.