Lowe’s will invest about $100 million to locate a new direct fulfillment center in Coopertown, northwest of Nashville, Tennessee. The home improvement company expects to create up to 600 jobs in Robertson County.

Lowe’s direct fulfillment center will cover some 1.1 million square feet – the equivalent of 22 football fields under one roof. Plans call for the facility to be operational by the third quarter of 2018, initially employing approximately 400 people and growing to 600 employees by 2022.

State economic development officials describe the center as “one of the most technology driven and sophisticated operations the company has built, the center will ship parcel packages directly to Lowe’s customers and stores nationwide.”

“We’re continually working to make doing business with Lowe’s easier for customers. Investing to build a new fulfillment center - the first of its kind for Lowe’s - allows us to offer customers more products online, consolidate multiple parcel shipments and ship purchases directly to customers faster and more efficiently,” Brent Kirby, Lowe’s Chief Supply Chain officer said.

“The Nashville area was chosen due to its existing large shipping hubs, access to interstate roadways and well-skilled workforce,” he added.

“Tennessee’s geographical location is in the heart of the U.S. with easy access to markets around the world, which makes our state the perfect location for a company like Lowe’s to locate its new fulfillment center,” Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said.

Robertson County Mayor Howard Bradley said, “The prospect of 600 new jobs in our county is exciting. Beyond that is the hope that this will be a prelude to further economic expansion in the western portion of our county. We believe this could be the catalyst that opens up the entire I-24 corridor to new life and opportunity. We are grateful to Lowe’s for having the faith in our region to bring this enormous investment into our collective future.”