By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Tom Harvel has been named the new Niles Wal-Mart manager, after previous manager Dennis Carlson passed away unexpectedly on June 1.
Harvel comes from the Wal-Mart store in Hammond, Ind., where he was co-manager, but he is no stranger to the area, as he was an assistant manager at the Niles location 10 years ago, and worked at the store for two and a half years. Harvel has also worked at the South Bend, Mishawaka and Valparaiso stores in Indiana.
"It's quite exciting," Harvel said of coming back to Niles. "I know the area and the business and it's great to be back."
Harvel, who has been employed with Wal-Mart for 16 years, admitted it was a long process to be able to come to the Niles location. "You have to go through a series of processes to become a manager. It took a while, but it was all worth it," he said.
Harvel said he wants nothing more than to see everyone at the Niles location happy. "My goal is to work with the associates and with the customers. I want to learn more about the people in this community," he said.
He also admitted that the loss of Carlson was not only hard on the employees, but on himself as well.
"I knew Dennis. Anytime anybody leaves it's going to be tough. I'm not here to fill his shoes – his shoes can't be filled. I'm just trying to play my role with the team," he added.
Harvel currently lives in Michigan City, Ind. and said he will probably stay there for a while. "I have two daughters who are in school and we don't really want to take them away. Plus, my wife works there, so for now it's working fine. The drive isn't too bad," he said.