Gov. Mike Parson joined  Warrensburg officials Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the opening of the new Dollar Tree distribution center on the north side of town.

Parson spoke before the event about his excitement for the grand opening.

“Warrensburg is a great community and Dollar Tree is a great addition to the region,” he said. “Dollar Tree recognized Missouri’s business-friendly approach, our strengths in logistics and distribution, and the talent we have available in the region – and we are proud to have them investing and creating jobs in Missouri.”

Other guests at the reception included Knob Noster Mayor Adam Morton and Warrensburg Mayor Danielle Johnston who spoke of the success of opening the new distribution center.

“The grand opening of the distribution center is the result of longtime efforts with our partners and community leaders who consistently work together to prove we are an area determined to do business,” Johnston said. “We thank Dollar Tree for recognizing the great assets we have long known were available in Warrensburg. The impact of 375 new jobs in our area will be immense and we will continue this positive momentum and prepare for future growth.”

The event celebrated the opening of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar’s 14th distribution center, creating 375 new jobs for the Warrensburg area. Two hundred positions have already been filled.

The 1-million-square-foot distribution center will service Family Dollar and Dollar Tree businesses.

Shipments are scheduled to begin next week with an expected 125 to 150 trucks to leave the facility per day.

“This gives us better opportunity to better serve our stores and run our supply chain more efficiently,” said Randy Guiler, vice president of investor relations for Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. “It supports the growth and the capacity for growth our company.”

Dollar Tree operates more than 14,900 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces, along with 23 distribution centers.

Editor’s note: This version of the story corrects the first name for Gov. Mike Parson.