Amazon has announced plans to swiftly expand its operations in North Carolina, including establishing one of its last-mile facilities in Jacksonville. This move is expected to catalyze job creation and boost local economic development across the Onslow County region. A statement on the City of Jacksonville's official website detailed the company's investment in a 100,000-square-foot facility situated to the northwest of the city, adjacent to the municipal water treatment plant.
The new site is poised to be an integral link in Amazon's complex shipping network, tasked with efficiently sorting packages which will then find their way to consumers' homes. The investment marks a continuation of Amazon's prolific presence in the state, cumulatively creating over 24,000 jobs and injecting more than $12 billion since 2010. In a statement obtained by the City of Jacksonville, Amazon Economic Development Manager Sam Blatt expressed pride in the expansion and anticipated improvements in delivery speeds for local customers.
In not just seeking to become an economic boon to the Jacksonville area, Amazon is emphasizing its commitment to the wider North Carolina community. According to the same release, Amazon has recently donated more than $30,000 to various local nonprofits and organizations and partnered with Farmer Foodshare to address food insecurity issues during the holiday season.
For the people of Jacksonville, the promise of robust employment opportunities comes with additional perks. Amazon ensures competitive wages and comprehensive benefits from day one for full-time hourly employees—ranging from healthcare to a 401k with a 50 percent company match. To better prepare the workforce for the future, Amazon's Career Choice program offers to fully cover tuition for courses in high-demand fields, effectively helping to improve skill sets that might not necessarily directly translate to jobs at Amazon itself.
Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips heralded the collaboration with Amazon as a leap toward fulfilling the city's goal for economic development and job creation. "Economic development and job creation are two of the City’s highest priorities to preserve the quality of life we enjoy here in Jacksonville," Phillips told the City of Jacksonville, welcoming the potential for growth and success that Amazon could bring to the community.
