Decatur, GA — Here’s a quick look at business news in our community.

Grocery chain Aldi announces the debut of its remodeled and updated greater Decatur location.

Here’s the full announcement from Aldi:

ALDI will welcome shoppers back to its renovated Decatur store, which just reopened. The store, at 4900 Flat Shoals Parkway, is part of an ongoing initiative to remodel and expand existing ALDI stores nationwide. The Decatur store is now open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The updated store provides an improved layout and ample refrigeration to accommodate an expanded fresh and convenient food selection. It also features open ceilings, natural lighting and is built with environmentally friendly materials. Like all ALDI stores, the remodeled Decatur location still offers a streamlined shopping experience, but customers will notice the elevated design.

“ALDI continues to prioritize remodeling stores with one goal in mind: to provide the best grocery shopping experience,” said Shaun O’Keefe, Jefferson division vice president for ALDI. “We are excited for Decatur residents to see the updated location, specifically designed to make shopping even easier, but ALDI fans can rest assured that the high-quality products and unbeatable value ALDI provides will remain unchanged.”

ALDI stores are purposefully designed for simplicity and efficiency. A typical store is approximately 12,000 square feet of retail space, making ALDI stores much easier to navigate than traditional grocery stores. Most importantly, ALDI stores are optimized to provide the cleanest and safest shopping environment possible, as the health and safety of customers and employees is the company’s top priority. In addition, the retailer remains focused on ensuring stores are stocked with food and household essentials customers need, including healthy, convenient options and a robust selection of produce delivered fresh to stores daily.

Known as private-label pioneers, the ALDI business model is intentionally designed to offer customers high-quality products at unbeatable prices, every day. Now, more than ever, access to affordable groceries is important, and the ALDI commitment to low prices is unwavering. When it comes to value, ALDI won’t be beat on price, and for the past 10 years, ALDI has held the esteemed title of Value Leader among U.S. grocery stores, according to the Market Force Information® U.S. Grocery Competitive Study.* The retailer consistently maintains low prices by working with the best partners to curate a selection of more than 90% exclusive brands, and ALDI guarantees its products are as good as or better than national brands. In fact, 1 in 3 ALDI-exclusive products is award-winning.**  

To provide customers choice and convenience in how they shop, ALDI continues to increase its e-commerce presence. ALDI grocery delivery reaches nearly 200 million Americans across more than 10,000 ZIP codes,*** and last year, ALDI quickly mobilized to meet the growing demand for grocery pickup through its accelerated curbside rollout to nearly 700 stores across the country. ALDI also remains focused on expanding curbside pickup to even more stores. Visit shop.aldi.usto place an order. 

As an award-winning employer, ALDI is nationally recognized for its commitment to employees and its dedication to prioritizing employee well-being and safety. Known for offering highly competitive wages and industry-leading benefits, ALDI made the Indeed Best Places to Work: Compensation and Benefits list in 2018 and 2019. As one of the fastest-growing retailers in the U.S., ALDI is constantly creating new job opportunities and encourages local residents to apply for open store positions. To learn more about working at ALDI and search job openings, go to careers.aldi.us.

Dunkin’ Donuts on May 21 held a grand opening for its Next Gen restaurant in greater Decatur located at 2550 Lawrenceville Highway. 

Dunkin’ Donuts opened a new location at 2550 Lawrenceville Highway in Decatur. The store also serves Baskin Robbins ice cream. Photo by Zoe Seiler.

The fast-food chain offered residents free coffee from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. There was a check presentation of $1,000 to the Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry which serves the needy in the Decatur community.

“The new 2,000 square-foot restaurant seats 16 guests indoors, eight guests outdoors, employs 14 crew members and is open daily from 5 A.M. to 9 P.M.,” a press release from the company says.

The restaurant offers:

– Faster than Ever Drive-thru Experience: An exclusive On-the-Go drive-thru lane lets DD Perks® members who order ahead via Dunkin’s Mobile App bypass the ordering lane and head straight into the line for the pickup window.

– Dunkin’ on Demand: With fully-integrated digital kiosks, guests will completely control how they order by choosing to order with or without the help of a crew member. Dunkin’ has also introduced an area dedicated to mobile pickups so that members of the DD Perks® Rewards program who order ahead via Dunkin’s Mobile App can get in and out of the restaurant faster than ever before. For all orders placed for pick up inside the restaurant, guests will be able to track the status of their order via a new digital order status board.

– Modern Design: The openness, colors and materials used in the design help to create an approachable, positive and energetic environment.

– Premium Pours: Dunkin’s signature cold beverages are now served through an innovative tap system serving eight consistently cold beverages such as coffees, iced teas, cold brew coffee and nitro infused cold brew coffee. Crew members will also use top-quality flavor-maximizing espresso machines to make hand-crafted drinks to order.

– Increased Energy Efficiency: The new Dunkin’ is a DD Green Achievement™ restaurant, which is designed to save 25% more energy compared to a standard Dunkin’ restaurant.

Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. is celebrating 30 years in business 

Here’s the full announcement from Pathways:

Decatur, GA, Release: May 19, 2021— A milestone is approaching for Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. (PTP), as it celebrates its 30th year in business. Over the last 30 years, it has grown from one person with a dream of helping children and families to a dedicated team of more than 130 that share the same vision. Other medical professionals and referents trust the client-focused, results-driven programs that are based on both classic psychologies and the latest, cutting-edge research.

Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. has helped families heal, addressing not just their symptoms or behaviors, but providing them with tools needed to create change.  Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. takes great pride in being a resource for all families, from all walks of life, and uphold every person’s inherent worth and dignity. Join them virtually, by following their social media platforms as they begin to share 30 prominent facts about the agency and beyond. This will help you get to know staff, their roles, and learn more about the growth over the last 30 years in business.

“The growth of Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. has been really organic. It was my private practice, I was in solo practice like most psychologists and started working with children in foster care and it was specifically called therapeutic foster care which began in Georgia, in the mid 80’s. Our agency was the first one to get therapeutic foster care children and families. I started thinking and developing a language to share with families and staff, which led to a clear vision of what services for children and families who have been through trauma should look like,” said Dr. Sunaina R. Jain, Founder & CEO of Pathways Transition Programs, Inc.

Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. will continue to bring awareness to our mental health community for children, youth, adults, and their families. There will always be a need for an agency that protects children and strengthen families, as they have over the last 3 decades. Celebrating the 30th year in business doesn’t stop here for them, they will continue to rise above all challenges to ensure the Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. is still a model agency in the areas in which they serve.

“The longevity of the PTP staff is a testament to the dedication that it has to the mission of the organization, its mission, and values, and the well-being of the communities served. It is clear that staff members at all levels of care who serve in all capacities are there because of a purpose, not just a paycheck,” said Davis Flores, Program Surveyor with CARF International.

Over the last 30 years, Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. has established contracts with the Department of Family and Children Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Child Advocacy Centers, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, numerous school systems, other various community agencies, and they actively serve more than 20 Georgia counties. PTP is currently accepting new clients and referrals, for more information, please visit: www.pathwaystransitionprograms.com

Emory Critical Care Center NP/PA Residency Program first to receive national accreditation under newly designed pathway

Here’s more information from Emory Healthcare:

ATLANTA – The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Clinical Postgraduate Program status to the Emory Critical Care Center Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant (NP/PA) Residency Program, sponsored by Emory Healthcare. The Emory Critical Care Center is the first center in the country to achieve post-graduate PA accreditation under the ARC-PA newly developed pathway for post-graduate PA residency programs.

“We are honored that the Emory Critical Care Center NP/PA program was the first post-graduate PA program accredited under the novel pathway,” says Aimee Abide, MMSc, PA-C, co-director of the NP/PA Critical Care Residency Program with the Emory Critical Care Center, and PA program lead.

“The ARC-PA has rigorous, evidence-based standards for quality and excellence in PA education. Those physician assistants who successfully complete ARC-PA accredited programs gain confidence in the caliber of the program and reassurance that their education has met the highest possible standards,” explains Abide.

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are collectively called advanced practice providers (APPs). APPs are licensed health care clinicians authorized to diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications and provide evidence-based health education to their patients. In the Emory Critical Care Center NP/PA residency, APPs undergo specialized training for one year after graduation from PA or NP school to become highly skilled in taking care of patients in the intensive care unit.

“The Emory Critical Care Center NP/PA program attracts qualified applicants from all over the country, all seeking a structured education program in order to become experts and leaders in their field,” says Heather Meissen, ACNP-BC CCRN, co-director of the NP/PA Critical Care Residency Program, and NP program lead. “The Emory Critical Care Center NP/PA Residency Program has been accredited as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation since 2015 and recently received Accreditation with Distinction at the 2021 re-accreditation review.”

“We are honored to receive this accreditation from the ARC-PA and proud to be recognized as the first dually accredited clinical post-graduate programs for physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the country,” says Kate Nugent, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine and anesthesiology, Emory University School of Medicine and medical director of the NP/PA residency program. “This dual accreditation gives physician assistants and nurse practitioners alike the assurance that Emory Healthcare offers the highest quality clinical post-graduate education.”

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