The fulfillment center launched with 750 full-time associates who will handle larger items available on Amazon like home decor, sporting equipment and gardening tools.
“This project started in (September) 2017, so we’ve been looking forward to Amazon’s first shipment out of Monroe for nearly two years,” said Jennifer Patterson, Monroe’s assistant to the city manager for economic development. “We’ve heard that many area residents were eagerly anticipating Amazon employment opportunities as well, so the company’s decision to start with 750 employees is fantastic news for them.”
Positions are still available at the Monroe fulfillment center. Interested candidates can visit www.amazondelivers.jobs to learn more and apply online.
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Amazon, which employs 575,000 nationwide, will ramp up hiring for the Monroe facility over the course of just a few weeks following its opening, officials told this news outlet. The company has stated job creation numbers are expected to number more than 1,000.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority in 2017 approved a 1.39 percent, 10-year tax credit for the Amazon facility. It is expected to draw in more than $26.7 million in new payroll and be a $30 million fixed-asset investment.
Employees are paid at least $15 per hour and comprehensive health care from their first day on the job, officials said.
That includes the company’s Career Choice program, launched in 2014 to help train employees for in-demand jobs to expand the choices available in their future career, whether that’s at Amazon or in another industry. Since Amazon launched CareerChoice in 2014, more than 16,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design, nursing, IT programming and more.
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Other benefits include disability insurance, 401K with 50 percent match and up to 20 weeks of parental paid leave and benefit programs aimed at giving new parents flexibility with their growing families.
Amazon also provides on-the-job training and advancement opportunities for all its associates, with many Amazon leaders working their way up from various positions held across the company, officials said.
Employees at the facility join a network of two existing fulfillment centers in the Columbus area (Obetz and Etna) and one scheduled to open later this year near Cleveland (North Randall).
Monroe's Park North, an IDI Logistics class A industrial park where the Amazon fulfillment center opened, has had multiple big names commit to occupying space there. That includes Cornerstone Services, Hayneedle, Home Depot and Serta/Vallen.
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Amazon isn’t the only retail powerhouse bringing jobs to the city. A $33 million Bed, Bath and Beyond e-commerce center is set for 62 acres off Salzman Road, across from the Kohl’s Distribution Center. The new 827,080-square-foot facility will create approximately 900 full-time jobs generating $26.6 million in new annual payroll.
Kroger is investing $55 million to build a 335,000-square-foot facility — the first of 20 in the country — at 6266 Hamilton Lebanon Road in Monroe, as part of a collaboration between Kroger, America’s largest grocery retailer, and U.K.-based Ocado, one of the world’s largest dedicated online grocery retailers.
It is scheduled to open in spring 2021, creating more than 400 new jobs.
The automated warehouse facility with digital and robotic capabilities, also known as a “shed,” will be replicated to serve customers across America.
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