By LAURA BROOKHART / Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Lowe’s Alabaster celebrated its 10^th anniversary on July 13 with an onsite BBQ luncheon for all its employees.

Lowe’s began as a family hardware store in North Wilkesboro, N.C. in 1946. The founder, Carl Buchan, had a vision to create a national chain of hardware stores dedicated to helping people improve the places they call home.

“Where this store was headed would astound everyone who knew about its small roots in rural North Carolina, and its future growth would amaze investors across the country,” reads the Lowe’s website.

Today, Lowe’s has 265,000 employees (64 percent full-time, 36 percent part-time) working in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, India and Vietnam.

Now the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world, Lowe’s Alabaster has seven employees who have been with the store since opening day: Donna Blackmon, Morgan Bryant, Brian Dill, Sara Kocsis, David Stockton, Cynthia Trannon and Cee Tindol.

Lowe’s Alabaster has had three general managers prior to today’s Steve Warren. Lee Weeks opened the store in 2005 and was followed by Ben Avery and Owen Watkins.

Today’s assistant store managers are Jessie Vinson, Rickey Turner, Jason Bristol, Clifford Dubose, Bryan Carter and Michelle Trulove is human resources manager.

Robert Brown is one of Lowe’s Alabaster special stories. Brown is active in the community as director of community ministries and First Baptist Alabaster. He is part of a local group of businessmen, as well, that provide assistance and residences repairs to those in need.

Using Lowe’s materials, Brown has extensively remodeled his own home since moving to Alabaster in 2004. He has added a workshop, outdoor decks, cabinets for his wife’s quilting room and installed hardwood flooring and tile work.

This April, Brown came on board as a seasonal employee and now works in Tool World.

“We turned one of our best customers into an employee,” manager Rick Turner said.

​Lowe’s is a regular sponsor of Alabaster CityFest each year with its Kid’s Clinic Build and Grow program.​

“We service 500-600 children during CityFest,” said Turner, who has coordinated this program over the past seven years. “Build and Grow is an extension of the program we have on select Saturdays in the store. You will see kids wearing their Lowe’s apron and achievement patches as they build woodworking projects such as pirate ships, race cars, school buses and monster trucks.”

“Marshall Goggins, who the children call ‘Mr. Marshall’ leads this program. The kids have a great time; they begin to learn building skills. We are proud of the good will this program generates in the community,” Turner added.

Goggins encouraged interested parents to go online to Lowes.com and check out the dates for future Build and Grow programs. There, one can sign up and fill out the necessary waiver form to bring along to the store.