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Amazon.com Plans Two 700,000 Square Foot Fulfillment Centers In Edwardsville, Illinois

06/10/2016
Amazon.com, Inc. will open fulfillment centers at the Gateway and Lakeview Commerce Centers in Edwardsville, Illinois. The company will create more than 1,000 full-time jobs between both facilities.

The two fulfillment centers will span more than 700,000 square-feet each where employees will pick, pack and ship items for customers. One of the buildings will specialize in handling larger items like big-screen televisions, sports equipment or kayaks and the other building will handle smaller items such as books, toys and electronics. The company also recently announced plans for a new fulfillment center in Joliet, Illinois, and the creation of 2,000 full-time jobs. Amazon has an existing fulfillment center in Joliet where it currently employs 1,500 full-time employees.

“Illinois has been a great place to do business for Amazon and we look forward to adding two additional fulfillment centers and creating another 1,000 full-time jobs with benefits on day one in the state,” said Akash Chauhan, Amazon’s Vice President of North American operations. “The elected officials throughout the city and state have been very supportive of Amazon and we thank them for helping make this possible. We’re excited to soon call Edwardsville home and become an active member of this vibrant community.”

“Amazon’s newest investment in Illinois is a commitment to the future of our state,” Governor Bruce Rauner said. “Amazon brings more than a thousand great paying jobs to Madison County and strengthens Illinois’ position as a national hub for distribution and logistics. We are excited Amazon has again chosen our state and continues to be a growing partner in economic development in the Land of Lincoln. This growth represents the type of results possible when state economic development is focused on a long-term strategy, as the newly formed ILBEDC is doing with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.”

“We are very excited about Amazon’s announcement to open two fulfillment centers in Madison County and are happy to see that it will be positioned to utilize the competitive assets the St. Louis region offers to the manufacturing and logistics industries. We hope to see even more companies like Amazon invest in the St. Louis area. Very few cities in the United States can say they have this wide variety of competitive advantages all located in one place. Our region is home to six Class I railroads with international market access, home to the third-largest inland port, home to two international cargo airports, and home to four interstates that provide great access to the north, south, east, and west along the nation's freight corridors," said Mary Lamie, Executive Director of St. Louis Regional Freightway.

"The Bi-State area has the largest manufacturing workforce compared to peer cities. It offers low transportation costs, plus close proximity to manufacturing suppliers, and well-positioned and available industrial real estate. All of these competitive assets combine to make this region, your gateway to the world,” Lamie added.

Mayor Hal Patton of Edwardsville said, “We would like to thank Amazon for selecting Edwardsville as the location for their newest fulfillment centers. The construction of these two enormous warehouse buildings in the Gateway and Lakeview Commerce Centers will employ hundreds of construction professionals and bring over 1,000 full-time jobs to our region. The professional staffs from the City of Edwardsville, Madison County and the State of Illinois worked seamlessly with our local developers to deliver a much needed employment opportunity for our talented workforce. We are excited to show Amazon the quality of life that makes Edwardsville a great place to live, work and play.”

Madison County Board Chairman Alan J. Dunstan applauded the news from Amazon. He said Madison County’s premiere location and transportation network was key to attracting one of the world's largest e-commerce retailers. “We are excited that Amazon is coming to Madison County. We look forward to them becoming part of our community and we welcome the job opportunities for our residents.”

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