CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — What was once a Target store on Chicago’s South Side had officially been given a new life with a groundbreaking in Chatham. It's now a Discover Customer Care facility.
Discover President and CEO Roger Hochschild was there to show Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a crowd of dignitaries the dual-purpose facility he expects will house 1,000 employees, 95% of whom will live within five miles of the center.
The mayor said this project is directly in line with her Invest South/West program.
“You build not only the physical structures, but you create the opportunities for people to be able to shine, for people to live a fulfilled life with good paying jobs,” Lightfoot said. “It makes all the difference in the world.
Juatise Gathings will be the operations director for the new Discover Customer Care center and its companion Community Center. The center already employs some 300 people.
Hochschild said the company is committed to the Chatham community, and he added that more than 25% of the construction work was performed by black-owned contractors.
The grand opening took place on the site of what was once a shuttered Target store.
The closing was such a sore point most participants wouldn’t mention the company by name. Congressman Bobby Rush did call Target out, though. He said good riddance — and several other euphemisms for "goodbye."
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