Lowe’s Regional Distribution Center General Manager Andy Johnson confirmed Thursday that the new 1.4 million square foot center would hire nearly 500 employees as part of its initial wave of staffing by the spring of 2013. Johnson spoke to the Rome Rotary Club on Thursday afternoon at Coosa Country Club.

All of the coach positions are already posted at www.lowes.com/careers. “Team member” positions will be posted by the middle of October. Johnson said by the end of October all of the management level positions will be on site. Interviews, drug screens and background checks will take place during the fourth quarter and the first new hire orientation is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2013.

When the distribution center opens the facility will run days and weekends. There will be four 10-hour shifts during the week and three 12-hour shifts on the weekend. Implementation of the night shift is expected to start in October of 2013.

Johnson staggered the civic group with statistics about the facility, including the fact that there are more than 40 miles of fire suppression water lines flowing through the 34-acre building. You could put 31 full-sized football fields inside the distribution center, and 13 of the normal Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse retail stores could fit under the roof of the complex in Shannon.

The general contractor, Vannoy Construction, moved more than 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt, and 235,000 tons of crushed stone was laid in the foundation for the building. More than 100,000 cubic yards of concrete were poured.

The new center includes 243 loading bays with slots for 1,526 trailers on the tarmac or apron of the distribution center.

Johnson also pointed out that the new center will have a direct-to-customer section where people in Northwest Georgia who order items online, or via smart phone, can walk up to pick up items that are in stock at the mammoth complex.

About 130,000 square feet of space is set aside for handling large appliances, which could be stacked in boxes six-high.

Johnson took a considerable amount of time explaining the Lowe’s corporate culture, dubbed the Power of P.R.I.D.E.

“We start in the middle, we always focus on integrity.” Johnson said. “You do the right thing even when no one else is looking.”

P stands for passion: “If you don’t have passion for what you do, then Lowe’s is not the place for you.

R is for respect: “You want to treat them the way that they want to be treated.”

D is for diversity: “We look at is as a competitive advantage.”

Compiling each of the first four characteristics results in the E, which Johnson said stands for excellence.

Johnson told the Rotary Club that the Lowe’s Charitable Education Foundation has distributed more than $13 million to schools and community groups in Georgia alone. The Lowe’s Employee Relief fund exists to help employees who may have suffered circumstances that need special assistance, and last year the company distributed more than $2.3 million to 2,000 employees.