WASILLA — From jobs to groceries, business like Wal-Mart, Target and Sportsman’s Warehouse are bringing a lot more than big boxes to the Mat-Su Valley.

With the recent influx of large retailers in the Valley, residents will soon have access to more products and services for which they used to drive to Anchorage. While big-box stores can sometimes satisfy the buying thirst of consumers, they’re also providing residents with jobs.

Lots of jobs. “We all know that the Valley is growing at a extremely fast rate,” said Steve McVeigh, manager of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Wasilla, which is expected to open next month. “It makes great fiscal sense for us to have a store out here.”

The 65,000-square-foot sporting goods store will open Nov. 8 and a grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 10, McVeigh said. The cost of the project is expected to run between $12 and $15 million. Not only will the store carry products like fishing tackle and rifles, it will provide 75 to 100  jobs for local residents. General associates will receive an average of $9 to $13 an hour and department manager wages will range from $30 to $50 an hour.

With main construction complete on the Wal-Mart Superstore expansion, employees are finalizing the transformation of the store, said Marlene Munsell, Wal-Mart store manager.

A grand opening is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 31. As a Superstore, the new and improved Wal-Mart will stock a complete line of groceries and general merchandise goods.

“Here in Alaska there is definitely a need for affordable groceries,” Munsell said.

Munsell declined to disclose the cost of the addition, but said the square footage has increased from 156,000 to 220,000 square feet. Along with square footage, Wal-Mart is increasing its workforce by adding 250 to 300 jobs.

“We’re probably going to be one of the largest employers in the Valley,” Munsell said.

Big box retailers have a reputation for providing a lot of jobs, with most being part-time and/or low-paying. They also contribute to the local communities, Munsell said. Wal-Mart contributed more than $110,000 to Valley organizations last year. The company also helps with area trash clean-up and recycling programs.

Sportsman’s Warehouse may be new to Wasilla, but it has a history of supporting communities and their resources, McVeigh said.

“We are huge into community development,” he said. “We pour a lot back into the community through conservation groups.”

Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Rifle Association are a few of those groups, he said. “I’m looking forward to servicing the Valley and being an active part of the community.”

At the intersection of the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways, Neeser Construction Inc. is building a 162,000-square-foot development that will eventually house a Target department store.

The project is scheduled for completion in October 2008. The corporation was unavailable for comment by press time about its employment plans.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.