Janet meets with Patrick Bet-David
Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Downtown Theater District
Giant Eagle CEO Laura Karet on company’s prospects: ‘We have big aspirations to grow’
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic years, Laura Karet sounds fully confident about the prospects for Giant Eagle today.
“We have big aspirations to grow,” said Karet, who spoke Tuesday before a sold-out audience at a VisionPittsburgh luncheon at the Duquesne Club downtown.
Amid an ever-crowding competitive climate in which everyone from Aldi to Amazon.com Inc. is selling groceries, Karet spoke as the CEO and chairwoman of a retailer that has grown to more than 470 stores and annual revenue of $11.1 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
In a fireside chat led by Pittsburgh Business Times Publisher Evan Rosenberg, Karet talked about Giant Eagle’s origins. The company was started by five families during the Great Depression and its ownership continues on today in a retail industry often dominated by publicly traded national chains.
Karet’s story of Giant Eagle’s ongoing growth and expansion came in two distinct parts, the first fueled by petroleum sales and the company’s decision to diversify its store types, the second by the pandemic.
“Twenty-five years ago, we realized customers were starting to change their shopping habits,” she said.
She recalled how about 20 years ago Kroger, the Cincinnati-based grocery chain that doesn’t operate in the region, started putting gas pumps in their parking lots and how quickly Giant Eagle decided to do so as well.
The result soon led to the launch of the company’s GetGo convenience store chain.
Karet recalled how quickly establishing gas pumps at Giant Eagle stores as well as for the new GetGo locations resulted in major boosts in sales for everything else.
“We started buying gas pumps as fast as we could,” she said.
She added GetGo is now differentiated by its approach to food, noting there are now more GetGo locations than there are traditional Giant Eagle stores for what’s become a major growth vehicle for the company.
Giant Eagle also was able to benefit from the major societal disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, a global health crisis in which the grocery chain operated as one of the few places people were allowed to shop amid the wave of government-required shutdowns.
“When Covid happened, our business grew enormously overnight,” she said, adding Giant Eagle quickly worked to roll out an online delivery service that had been in the works.
That was as much of a challenge as an opportunity.
With GetGo expanding and the company also rolling out more and more Market District-branded stores, including in smaller formats, Karet sounded as though Giant Eagle has carved out a sustainable niche and territory for itself.
That’s despite sometimes jarring industry consolidation.
“When Amazon bought Whole Foods, it was like a bomb went off in the industry,” she said at one point.
Yet Karet doesn’t expect any changes to the competitive landscape to come any time soon from the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons. Roughly handicapping it as a 50/50 proposition to go forward, Karet expects such a merger to take years to fully pull off and integrate.
“We’re pretty big but really small compared to them,” she said of the two chain grocers.
She sees lots of opportunity for Giant Eagle to grow and expand as it becomes more difficult for smaller operators to compete.
“There’s too many opportunities, which, by the way is a good problem to have,” she said.
Karet noted how the company is active in converting established Giant Eagle stores into Market District stores, establishing new smaller-format Market District locations, as well as expanding its WetGo car wash business along with GetGo as a now proven store model.
“We’re pretty convinced we have a unique model that will allow us to compete in this hard changing world against people who are much bigger than us,” she said.
Karet recalled her early days in her career when she said she had “no interest in coming back to the company,” wishing instead to chart her own course, working early in her career for such companies as Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee.
Now, after taking on the title of chairwoman at Giant Eagle last year, Karet expects she’s worked in just about every position at the company, outside a few, such as chief information office and in the real estate department.
However, none of them equaled the kind of grounding she received actually working in the stores.
“The best training by far was working in the stores growing up,” she said.
Article from Pittsburgh Business Times: https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2023/03/14/laura-karet-giant-eagle-vision-pittsburgh.html
Many exciting things happening in Downtown Pittsburgh at your Star Lofts Pittsburgh home next to the Benedum Theater. http://www.starloftspgh.com
How to Make Your Entire StarLoftPgh Apartment Smell Pleasant
The ability to smell is more powerful than we often consider. Scents tell us a lot about our surroundings by helping us determine what food to eat and what fragrances to wear. The right scents can even have a mood-boosting effect. Think back to when you pulled laundry straight out of the dryer and how fresh it smelled. Or consider a time you tried a new shampoo that smelled amazing. You probably felt more relaxed or at peace afterward. The same feeling can apply to your StarLoftPgh. A clean and fresh apartment unit can boost your mood and get you in the right headspace to tackle the week ahead of you. Here are tips on how to make your apartment unit smell fresh.
One of the most common causes of household odor is moisture. One area of every apartment that’s susceptible to moisture is the bathroom. You can keep your eye on small water sources, such as washcloths, sponges, and towels, by replacing sponges every week or biweekly.
Additionally, it’s best to ensure that clean towels are fully dry before folding them and putting them away. You can also hang bath mats over the shower rod to help them dry. You can also manage moisture in your apartment unit by ensuring that your rooms never stay too humid. You can open the windows occasionally to improve airflow throughout your apartment.
Another step to take is cleaning out the fridge is throwing away anything expired. You might be surprised how long old condiments stay inside refrigerators. You can do a monthly inventory check to ensure that the contents are fresh. Then, you want to give the interior of your fridge a thorough scrubbing. Pull out removable shelves and drawers and soak them in hot, soapy water. An equal mixture of hot water, white vinegar, and a small drop of dish soap are always helpful. It would be best to use cleaners that won’t contaminate the fridge.
Soft Surfaces Hold Odors
Carpets, throw pillows, and bed linens can be magnets for unpleasant smells. Even after a spill dries or dirt gets wiped away, odor-causing bacteria can linger. It’s helpful to invest in a professional steam cleaning if you have any soft surfaces you can’t wash in the machine. Also, cleaning up spills before they dry is the best way to ensure that smells don’t linger. Vacuuming your carpet and spot-treating will keep your apartment unit fresh. Then, it’s best to maintain a regular cleaning routine and scent your apartment unit with your favorite scented plug-ins and essential oils. Room sprays can also be helpful in providing a boost of pleasant scents whenever you desire.
Star Lofts Pittsburgh, located in the exciting theater district of Downtown Pittsburgh, we offer beautiful spaces with access to gym, and maintenance whenever you need it – and have access to all the information you need to be our resident at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com. To set up an appointment with Janet, please call Janet, at 412.943.7660 or visit the website at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com.
I am the New Year. 2023
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned during the last 12 months of life.
All that you sought the last year and failed to find is hidden in me, I’m waiting for you to search it out again, with more determination.
In me lies the potential of all that you dreamed but didn’t dare do, all that you hoped for but did not perform, all that you prayed for but did not yet experience.
These dreams slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of an enduring purpose.
I am the New Year.
Happy New Year 2023
Charlie/Janet
Theater District Residential Living Experts
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A Classic Christmas Story
Is there anyone who doesn’t love Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? The story is filled with the holiday spirit – and hauntings and redemption and celebration and forgiveness. There isn’t much to dislike.
A Christmas Carol Summary
A mean-spirited, miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his counting-house on a frigid Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers in the anteroom because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for a fire. Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, pays his uncle a visit and invites him to his annual Christmas party. Two portly gentlemen also drop by and ask Scrooge for a contribution to their charity. Scrooge reacts to the holiday visitors with bitterness and venom, spitting out an angry “Bah! Humbug!” in response to his nephew’s “Merry Christmas!”
Later that evening, after returning to his dark, cold apartment, Scrooge receives a chilling visitation from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, looking haggard and pallid, relates his unfortunate story. As punishment for his greedy and self-serving life his spirit has been condemned to wander the Earth weighted down with heavy chains. Marley hopes to save Scrooge from sharing the same fate. Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him during each of the next three nights. After the wraith disappears, Scrooge collapses into a deep sleep.
He wakes moments before the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Past, a strange childlike phantom with a brightly glowing head. The spirit escorts Scrooge on a journey into the past to previous Christmases from the curmudgeon’s earlier years. Invisible to those he watches, Scrooge revisits his childhood school days, his apprenticeship with a jolly merchant named Fezziwig, and his engagement to Belle, a woman who leaves Scrooge because his lust for money eclipses his ability to love another. Scrooge, deeply moved, sheds tears of regret before the phantom returns him to his bed.
The Ghost of Christmas Present, a majestic giant clad in a green fur robe, takes Scrooge through London to unveil Christmas as it will happen that year. Scrooge watches the large, bustling Cratchit family prepare a miniature feast in its meager home. He discovers Bob Cratchit’s crippled son, Tiny Tim, a courageous boy whose kindness and humility warms Scrooge’s heart. The specter then zips Scrooge to his nephew’s to witness the Christmas party. Scrooge finds the jovial gathering delightful and pleads with the spirit to stay until the very end of the festivities. As the day passes, the spirit ages, becoming noticeably older. Toward the end of the day, he shows Scrooge two starved children, Ignorance and Want, living under his coat. He vanishes instantly as Scrooge notices a dark, hooded figure coming toward him.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge through a sequence of mysterious scenes relating to an unnamed man’s recent death. Scrooge sees businessmen discussing the dead man’s riches, some vagabonds trading his personal effects for cash, and a poor couple expressing relief at the death of their unforgiving creditor. Scrooge, anxious to learn the lesson of his latest visitor, begs to know the name of the dead man. After pleading with the ghost, Scrooge finds himself in a churchyard, the spirit pointing to a grave. Scrooge looks at the headstone and is shocked to read his own name. He desperately implores the spirit to alter his fate, promising to renounce his insensitive, avaricious ways and to honor Christmas with all his heart. Whoosh! He suddenly finds himself safely tucked in his bed.
Overwhelmed with joy by the chance to redeem himself and grateful that he has been returned to Christmas Day, Scrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound Christmas spirit. He sends a giant Christmas turkey to the Cratchit house and attends Fred’s party, to the stifled surprise of the other guests. As the years go by, he holds true to his promise and honors Christmas with all his heart: he treats Tiny Tim as if he were his own child, provides lavish gifts for the poor, and treats his fellow human beings with kindness, generosity, and warmth.
Go see the live Christmas Carol near your home at the http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com It usually plays at the Byham Theater a block from your home at the starloftspgh. See you there, Merry Christmas from Janet and Charlie.
Pittsburgh’s Cultural District Crawl After Dark until midnight
Friday, September 23
The Fall ’22 Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District presented by UPMC and UPMC Health Plan is free and open to everyone and features more than 15 Crawl Stops. Expect brand new gallery exhibitions, public art that casts a canopy of color across the sky, unmissable live music marking the Backyard’s final weekend of the season, and an outdoor Crawl After Dark experience to keep the party going until midnight. 5:30 – 10 pm
Walk out you’re door at http://www.starloftspgh.com and you are there.
Have a great day! Janet
Gallery Crawl Pittsburgh Theater District
| Gallery Crawl hours: Friday, July 22 | 5:30 – 10 pm |
Supply and Demand by artist Ian Brill, is an interstitial navigation between beauty, the sublime, and the picturesque. It is a collection of performative, light, and sound installations. These programmatic, site-specific works are the negotiated balance between a consistent set of rules, an evolving, symbolic language, and preexisting constraints. Pittsburgh resident Ian Brill’s work focuses on the accumulation of form through process. Through the creation of interactive, performative, and multi-sensorial environments, Brill considers boundaries of becoming, versus being, and our immersive relationship with technology.
The gallery crawl is at your doorstep, away from the privacy of your home at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com
Backyard Park @ the StarloftPgh
Your new next door neighbor, the summer arts park is here in your Backyard at 8th & Penn, open Tuesday-Sunday from 11am-9pm! Enjoy free live performances, dance nights, local food trucks and more as you swing through the season!
For free family fun in the Cultural District, the Backyard at 8th & Penn is the place to be this summer! We’re kicking off July with the Backyard offerings below, but you can always stay up to date and find out more at TrustArts.org/Backyard.
Remember, if you need a break from the excitement, just go into your home at http://www.starloftspgh.com.
See you there, Best, Janet/Charlie
Do your part for the environment, drink Vodka.
Feeling down about the environment? Need a drink to take the edge off? Air Company has a crisp, clean solution for both of your problems: Air Vodka.
Launched in 2019, and now bolstered by a completely new round of funding that will push production levels, Air Company has a focus on creating products with carbon dioxide emissions, which are responsible for 79 percent of greenhouse gasses produced through human activities as of 2020, according to the U.S. Environmental Protective Agency. So far, its Air Vodka product has seen the most traction with backing from companies like JetBlue Airways and Toyota.
Through its carbon conversion technology, Air Company removes the impurities often found in alcohol by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that would otherwise pollute Earth. From there, it converts the CO2 emissions into ethanol in water, free from all solids or other constituents you’d normally find in the fermentation process. The result is a high-end 40 percent alcohol-by-volume vodka sold across the country and in bars from New York to San Francisco.
Air Company aims to use carbon technology to demonstrate a potential in removing and repurposing CO2 before it hits the atmosphere. The company’s New York base offers proprietary technology it claims will serve as a “blueprint for carbon tech solutions globally.” The brand recently expanded beyond vodka into sanitizer and perfume and remains engaged in a project with NASA to create CO2-based sugars and proteins.
Have some vodka with us at the Backstage bar right across your front door of the http://www.starloftspgh.com
Salut, Janet & Charlie
Cabaret Theater Gets Extensive Remodel, Expansion
The 250-seat Greer Cabaret Theater and Backstage Bar is one of the Cultural District’s great hidden gems , your personal hidaway right across the street from your home at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com
Not many know about it, yet!
It is tucked away well behind its Penn Avenue entrance. The Cultural Trust is embarking upon a comprehensive redesign of this important theatrical space, creating a more inviting experience.
“The Greer Cabaret Theater, the Backstage Bar, and the Theater Square lobbies will be undergoing extensive renovations over the next year to make these spaces shine,” says Nick Gigante, Senior Vice President of Development and Real Estate for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “The Theater will transform from the black box you see now into an intimate cabaret on par with New York venues like Joe’s Pub and 54 Below. The Backstage Bar will be expanded, and the lobbies for the box office and restaurant will become one grand space, streamlining, and elevating the patron experience.” Mr. Gigante adds, “This project is made possible in large part by the generous support of the Eden Hall Foundation, whose chairman and president, George C. Greer, has been a long-time Trustee of the Cultural Trust and whose name graces the Theater.”
See you at the Backstage bar, Ciao, Janet and Charlie
Pittsburgh's Theater District Star Loft Apartments 