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H-E-B upping ante with Buffalo Market
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| Aiming for an August opening, crews work on H-E-B's new Buffalo Market near West University. |
By MEGAN COOPER
The H-E-B Buffalo Market has taken the intense competition between area grocery chains to a whole new level with its environmentally friendly architecture and community involvement strategy.
The 68,000 square-foot H-E-B Buffalo Market, 5225 Bissonnet St., is slated to open late this summer.
According to H-E-B Regional PR Director Cyndy Garza, “construction things” keep coming up, making it difficult to set a definitive opening date. “But we are hoping to open in August,” Garza said.
The market will employ 320 full and part-time “partners.” That’s what H-E-B calls its employees. The store is currently hiring for positions in all departments, Garza said.
The H-E-B Pharmacy has been open for business since November, operating out of a small temporary building located in the parking lot of the construction site under the banner of the now-defunct Buffalo Pharmacy. Steve King, R.PH., former owner of Buffalo Pharmacy, was hired as the store’s pharmacy manager and many of the Buffalo Pharmacy staff members kept their positions.
“We still do everything the same,” said Tisa Krauklis, former Buffalo Pharmacy employee. “Most of our customers have come with us and we’ve absorbed some new ones, but business is still pretty much the same.
“They’ve been real good to us. But it was pretty hard to watch them knock down our building.”
A tour of the store
The Buffalo Market will offer a range of H-E-B food and drug products as well as many of the most popular Central Market items, Garza said.
The first thing customers will see when they walk through the main entrance is H-E-B’s Café on the Run, which will feature a variety of prepared foods and a coffee stand.
The store’s extensive produce section will feature more than 900 produce items throughout the year, including many certified organic items.
The meat market will offer USDA prime organic and natural meats.
The seafood department will be one of the largest in the area, Garza said, offering fresh fish delivered from all over the world as well as local catches.
More than 2,000 varieties of fine wines from around the world will rotate seasonally, and Buffalo Market will feature an extensive cheese shop with specialty and imported cheeses.
Additional features: a sushi bar where fresh sushi is made throughout the day, a floral department which offers a delivery service, and a bakery offering homemade artisan breads that are baked on-site daily.
H-E-B’s professional Cooking Connection chefs will host live demos on elevated cooking stations throughout the store, offering free recipes and cooking tips. Ingredients for the recipes will be provided at each station, as well as suggested wine pairings.
Green inside and out
The earthy green color of the building is no coincidence, said Garza. Internal and external components of the store were designed with Mother Earth in mind by Tulsa-based Selser Schaefer Architectswith Andrew McCready as the project manager. The firm has worked on more than 30 H-E-B projects throughout Texas.
The building was largely made from recycled materials. The steel used was produced with a minimum of 65 percent recycled material, Garza said. Wood used for the building has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an organization dedicated to promoting the practice of sustainable forestry in the U.S. and abroad.
Buffalo Market was built in compliance with standards set by ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that works to help businesses and homeowners save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
The “highly reflective butterfly roofing,” Garza said, will keep the interior of the building cooler. Additionally, an entire wall of highly reflective glass will serve to keep the store cool while allowing the use of natural light, reducing the amount of energy required to light the store.
The refrigerated cases are equipped with energy-saving fans and motion sensors, Garza said. The energy-saving LED lighting switches on only when customers pass by.
Buffalo Market, like most H-E-B stores, will have energy efficient fluorescent high-bay light fixtures that, according to the H-E-B website, will reduce 29 million pounds of harmful carbon dioxide from the air — the equivalent of removing 2,847 passenger cars from the road each year.
Landscaping plans, Garza said, were designed to conserve water, filter run-off water and promote native plant life.
Community commitment
H-E-B has a history of developing ties in each community where it locates.
The Buffalo Market will feature a community room open to all any non-profit, non-political and non-religious organizations at no cost. Arrangements to use the facility can be made through the store’s full-time community coordinator, Keri McElroy.
Prior to opening the doors of any H-E-B store, Garza said, the core management teams will meet with local non-profits and government officials to determine the unique needs of surrounding communities.
“We make every effort to go out and interface with key stakeholders,” Garza said. “We have been meeting with numerous homeowner’s associations, the YMCA, city councils, and local law enforcement officials.
The Buffalo Market core management team, which consists of the store director, community coordinator, and all department heads, has already met with the West U Parks Board and addressed the West U City Council.
“They showed up at a city council meeting in full force and introduced themselves,” said Donna LaMond, executive director of the Friends of West University Place Parks Fund Board of Directors. “They want to be a part of this community in every way, and we have welcomed them with open arms.”
H-E-B has not yet made a solid commitment to contributing any one cause or event, LaMond said, but they have conveyed that they want to become partners with the West U community. Sponsorship of the upcoming third annual Fathers and Flashlights event hosted by Friends in October was discussed during a meeting between LaMond, Friends’ Parks & Recreation Director Tim O’Connor, Administrative Manager Susan White of West U Parks & Recreation, McElroy, and Buffalo Market Store Director John Beardsly.
“The HEB folks we met with are very friendly and neighborly and we look forward to a mutually beneficial community partnership with them,” LaMond said.
The Buffalo Market team has also met with local charities and non-profits, including the Neuhaus Education Center, Weekly Family YMCA, Rice University and several area churches, Garza said.
“Five percent of key earnings will be reinvested into the community,” Garza said. “We want to give back to the community in any way we can.”
The 68,000 square-foot H-E-B Buffalo Market, 5225 Bissonnet St., is slated to open late this summer.
According to H-E-B Regional PR Director Cyndy Garza, “construction things” keep coming up, making it difficult to set a definitive opening date. “But we are hoping to open in August,” Garza said.
The market will employ 320 full and part-time “partners.” That’s what H-E-B calls its employees. The store is currently hiring for positions in all departments, Garza said.
The H-E-B Pharmacy has been open for business since November, operating out of a small temporary building located in the parking lot of the construction site under the banner of the now-defunct Buffalo Pharmacy. Steve King, R.PH., former owner of Buffalo Pharmacy, was hired as the store’s pharmacy manager and many of the Buffalo Pharmacy staff members kept their positions.
“We still do everything the same,” said Tisa Krauklis, former Buffalo Pharmacy employee. “Most of our customers have come with us and we’ve absorbed some new ones, but business is still pretty much the same.
“They’ve been real good to us. But it was pretty hard to watch them knock down our building.”
A tour of the store
The Buffalo Market will offer a range of H-E-B food and drug products as well as many of the most popular Central Market items, Garza said.
The first thing customers will see when they walk through the main entrance is H-E-B’s Café on the Run, which will feature a variety of prepared foods and a coffee stand.
The store’s extensive produce section will feature more than 900 produce items throughout the year, including many certified organic items.
The meat market will offer USDA prime organic and natural meats.
The seafood department will be one of the largest in the area, Garza said, offering fresh fish delivered from all over the world as well as local catches.
More than 2,000 varieties of fine wines from around the world will rotate seasonally, and Buffalo Market will feature an extensive cheese shop with specialty and imported cheeses.
Additional features: a sushi bar where fresh sushi is made throughout the day, a floral department which offers a delivery service, and a bakery offering homemade artisan breads that are baked on-site daily.
H-E-B’s professional Cooking Connection chefs will host live demos on elevated cooking stations throughout the store, offering free recipes and cooking tips. Ingredients for the recipes will be provided at each station, as well as suggested wine pairings.
Green inside and out
The earthy green color of the building is no coincidence, said Garza. Internal and external components of the store were designed with Mother Earth in mind by Tulsa-based Selser Schaefer Architectswith Andrew McCready as the project manager. The firm has worked on more than 30 H-E-B projects throughout Texas.
The building was largely made from recycled materials. The steel used was produced with a minimum of 65 percent recycled material, Garza said. Wood used for the building has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an organization dedicated to promoting the practice of sustainable forestry in the U.S. and abroad.
Buffalo Market was built in compliance with standards set by ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that works to help businesses and homeowners save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
The “highly reflective butterfly roofing,” Garza said, will keep the interior of the building cooler. Additionally, an entire wall of highly reflective glass will serve to keep the store cool while allowing the use of natural light, reducing the amount of energy required to light the store.
The refrigerated cases are equipped with energy-saving fans and motion sensors, Garza said. The energy-saving LED lighting switches on only when customers pass by.
Buffalo Market, like most H-E-B stores, will have energy efficient fluorescent high-bay light fixtures that, according to the H-E-B website, will reduce 29 million pounds of harmful carbon dioxide from the air — the equivalent of removing 2,847 passenger cars from the road each year.
Landscaping plans, Garza said, were designed to conserve water, filter run-off water and promote native plant life.
Community commitment
H-E-B has a history of developing ties in each community where it locates.
The Buffalo Market will feature a community room open to all any non-profit, non-political and non-religious organizations at no cost. Arrangements to use the facility can be made through the store’s full-time community coordinator, Keri McElroy.
Prior to opening the doors of any H-E-B store, Garza said, the core management teams will meet with local non-profits and government officials to determine the unique needs of surrounding communities.
“We make every effort to go out and interface with key stakeholders,” Garza said. “We have been meeting with numerous homeowner’s associations, the YMCA, city councils, and local law enforcement officials.
The Buffalo Market core management team, which consists of the store director, community coordinator, and all department heads, has already met with the West U Parks Board and addressed the West U City Council.
“They showed up at a city council meeting in full force and introduced themselves,” said Donna LaMond, executive director of the Friends of West University Place Parks Fund Board of Directors. “They want to be a part of this community in every way, and we have welcomed them with open arms.”
H-E-B has not yet made a solid commitment to contributing any one cause or event, LaMond said, but they have conveyed that they want to become partners with the West U community. Sponsorship of the upcoming third annual Fathers and Flashlights event hosted by Friends in October was discussed during a meeting between LaMond, Friends’ Parks & Recreation Director Tim O’Connor, Administrative Manager Susan White of West U Parks & Recreation, McElroy, and Buffalo Market Store Director John Beardsly.
“The HEB folks we met with are very friendly and neighborly and we look forward to a mutually beneficial community partnership with them,” LaMond said.
The Buffalo Market team has also met with local charities and non-profits, including the Neuhaus Education Center, Weekly Family YMCA, Rice University and several area churches, Garza said.
“Five percent of key earnings will be reinvested into the community,” Garza said. “We want to give back to the community in any way we can.”
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