Saturday, former and current MBA students took to the freshly power-washed exterior of the future grocery site to spruce it up with a fresh coat of paint, a major sign of progress, said Lee Jeter, executive director of The Fuller Center.

“This is our way of showing this community that the grocery store we have been talking about for so long is coming to fruition,” he said. “It allows them to still believe and show them that we still believe in this community.”

Chris Martin, dean of Centenary’s Business School, said students from the MBA program often analyze nonprofit and for-profit companies as part of their studies, but The Fuller Center’s project is one that they continue to revisit.

“We’re so excited to be able to be a part of the progress of this store,” he said. “This goes beyond the classroom or the computer screen. We’re able to see the project from the beginning to now, and it’s so great to help with that.”

Cindy Gleason Johnson was among the students in Centenary’s MBA program who helped The Fuller Center develop its plans. She said she is eager to see the grocery store come to life.

“It’s a great step toward getting a quality grocery store for this community,” she said. “So many in this neighborhood are without transportation or may have another reason they cannot travel very far. This puts a quality food business in an area that really needs it.”

Jeter said there is still a long way to go before the grocery store is completed. The Fuller Center is awaiting word on two grants to fund the project. Jeter said any local businesses from electricians to plumbers who would be willing to donate their services would be invaluable at this juncture.

“We are one of the few organizations where 100 percent of donations go directly to the communities we serve,” he said. “There is not one dime that goes to administrative costs or anything like that. Our goal is to put as much into these communities as possible.”

Written by Mary Nash-Wood – The Shreveport Times