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Relive the Mooresville Grand Re-Opening: Speeches & Ribbon Cutting

Stories from the River

Release Date: 11/13/2025

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On October 7, the Mooresville store (also known as The Lake) reopened its brand new doors, with a bang and a ribbon cutting! On today's episode of Stories from the River, we bring you the energy and atmosphere from right before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Broad River leaders attended and spoke at the event, honoring the current and past leadership of the store. 

Today, we are joined by Tony Barr, Corporate Chaplain of America, who leads us into the event with prayer and gratitude. Charlie Malouf, Broad River's CEO, takes the stage next, reminiscing on the store's history, acknowledging the ongoing dedication and resilience of the Memory Makers, past and present, to make this store what it is today. 

Next is Manny Rodrigues, Broad River's President and COO, who shares the stage with Dan Pieszchala, a long-time Million Dollar Memory Maker and Home Furnishings Expert whose dedication to the team is palpable. (Stay tuned for a full interview with Dan, coming later this month to the channel.) 

We hear from Tim Sayles, Broad River's Director of Facilities and Construction, and Lynn Knowles, Director of Merchandising and Visual Impact, and the two share their stories of how the store really came together. 

Coach Stacey McCormick, EVP of Retail Performance, takes the stage next and thanks the hardworking team, both past and present, for creating in The Lake an extraordinary store. He highlights the sheer determination of the Memory Makers in Mooresville, winning the prestigious Store of the Month Yoda award, not once, but twice, during the construction process. 

We also hear from Chris Berrier, Area Manager and the multi unit leader for this store, who takes a moment to thank Renee Bradley for her past leadership in the store, and tells a story of hitting a very important milestone back in the day. 

Nathan Jeter, the General Manager at The Lake, takes the stage next and expresses all of the gratitude towards the leadership team and his own Memory Makers. Nathan has been looking forward to this renovation for years, and now that it's finally happened, he's ready to accelerate his success at the store. Hear from Nathan next week, during a full interview, here on Stories from the River. 

Kim Harkness ends the episode with community impact. Broad River's partnership with Beds for Kids is super important, and on this opening day, an additional donation to Beds for Kids was made. 

Enjoy this episode, as well as the next four interviews from the Grand Reopening of the Mooresville location. 

 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Wu83f4FaTE  

 

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