Amazon unveils plan for second fulfillment center in Central Arkansas, new hub will be in North Little Rock
December 28 - January 3, 2021
Amazon Inc. announced plans Dec. 10 to open its second fulfillment center in North Little Rock only months after the Seattle-based ecommerce giant unveiled plans to open its first such facility at Little Rock’s largest industrial park.
The new fulfillment center, which is anticipated to launch in 2021, will create over 500 new, full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and comprehensive benefits starting on day one.
“We are proud to be expanding our operations in Arkansas with our newest facility in North Little Rock and we are excited to create over five hundred new, full-time jobs for the local community,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “Amazon is grateful for the continued support we’ve received from local and state leaders and we look forward to leveraging our scale for good to support this great community.”
According to Amazon officials, company associates working at the new one million square-foot fulfillment center Amazon associates will pick, pack, and ship bulky or larger-sized customer items such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment, or rugs.
“North Little Rock’s dedicated workforce and central location make it a perfect selection for Amazon’s newest distribution center,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “I’m delighted that Amazon has once again decided to invest in Central Arkansas, creating job opportunities for hundreds of Arkansans, and I’m confident that North Little Rock will be a perfect fit for the company’s project.”
On top of Amazon’s industry-leading minimum $15 per hour wage, the company offers full-time employees comprehensive benefits including full medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as a 401(k) with 50% match starting on day one. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon said it prioritizes the safety and health of its employees and has invested millions of dollars to provide a safe workplace. The company also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave and innovative benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents flexibility to support their growing families.
“On behalf of a grateful community, I want to thank Amazon’s leaders for selecting North Little Rock as its newest central Arkansas distribution center location,” said North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith. “Amazon’s commitment to this region is truly remarkable. Given our great transportation network and advantageous location it is a solid business decision that we certainly appreciate and respect.”
Earlier in July, Amazon first announced plans to open its first fulfillment center in Arkansas on an 80-acre site at the Port of Little Rock, local workers will soon work alongside robotics to pick, pack and ship small items to customers anywhere. That new 825,000 square-foot fulfillment facility, scheduled to open in within months, will create over 1,000 new full-time jobs with starting pay at an average of $15 per hour with full benefits.
Across the globe, Amazon has more than 175 operating fulfillment centers with more than 150 million square feet of space to complete millions of online orders. Sortable centers, such as the one planned for the Port of Little Rock, are usually more than 800,000 square feet and employ up to 1,500 workers.
Amazon would not disclose the financial terms associated with either of the Pulaski County economic development projects, but similar company fulfillment centers across the U.S. have seen real estate and land acquisitions cost range between $175 million and $300 million.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon has pledged to invest over $700 million to provide upskilling training for 100,000 U.S. employees for in-demand jobs. The programs will help Amazon team members from all backgrounds access training to move into highly skilled roles across the company’s corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillment centers, retail stores, and transportation network, or pursue career paths outside of Amazon.
“I am proud to see Pulaski County continuing to be an attractive market for business expansion,” said Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde. “Amazon’s ongoing investment directly attributes to economic growth and job opportunities for the people of Pulaski County and all of Central Arkansas.”
Besides the two new fulfillment centers, Amazon is also planning a new 85,000 square-foot delivery station in southwest Little Rock anticipated to launch in late 2020. Delivery stations power the last mile of Amazon’s order fulfillment process. Packages are transported to delivery stations from Amazon fulfillment and sortation centers, and then loaded into vehicles for delivery to customers.
The delivery station will also create hundreds of permanent, full-time and part-time jobs, in addition to offering entrepreneurs and independent contractors the opportunity to build their own small business delivering Amazon packages, company officials said. In late 2018, the Seattle-based ecommerce giant also opened a distribution center in North Little Rock which has about 100 employees.