If you have traveled along Pershing Drive in Derby lately, you can’t help but notice that the Valley Bowl no longer stands vacant as it did for so many years, and that the Italian Pavilion Restaurant has found a new home just off the Route 8 exit ramp.
Under the direction of Pershing Partners Development, this prime 5‑acre site has been transformed into a thriving commercial center which today is known as “The Derby Pershing Shopping Center.”
For the substantial redevelopment and construction of the new Derby Pershing Shopping Center, the Chamber is pleased to present a Silver Hammer award to Pershing Partners, LLC.
Among the center’s tenants to open earlier this year is Aldi, an international discount grocery chain. Founded by the Albrecht family, the first Aldi store opened in 1961 in Germany, making Aldi the first discounter in the world. With US headquarters in Illinois, Aldi now has more than 1,500 stores across 32 states, employs over 20,000 associates and has been growing steadily since opening its first US store in Iowa in 1976.
Next door to Aldi is Derby’s first and the Valley’s second Panera Bread, whose legacy began in 1981 as Au Bon Pain Co., and which was transformed into Panera Bread in 1999. Today, Panera Bread and its sister cafes can be found in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada offering fresh, authentic artisan bread served in a warm environment.
Finally, the Pershing Shopping Center is now home to Physician One Urgent Care. Formerly known as Urgent Care of Connecticut, the practice was established in Southbury in 2008 by three local physicians to provide acute care for non life-threatening medical conditions.
In addition to Jerry Nocerino, the partners in this project include Charlie Smith, CPA and a partner at Apicella & Testa, Mario Perone, Louis Salemme and Anthony Minopoli.
Jerry was kind enough to present this project at a chamber-sponsored forum about Derby’s redevelopment efforts that was hosted at Griffin Hospital earlier this year, and it was met with very positive reviews.
Click here for more photos from the chamber’s “Holiday Breakfast Club” event last month at which Nocerino and others were honored.
