MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — About 900 new jobs will be created as Amazon opens three new facilities near the Alabama cities of Montgomery, Huntsville and Birmingham, the company said Tuesday.
A 650,000-square-foot warehouse opening in Montgomery next year will provide more than 500 jobs as it receives products from vendors and sends them to fulfillment centers for shipment to customers, the Seattle-based company said in a statement.
A center for fulfilling orders for large items like home appliances will home in Limestone County near Huntsville in 2022, employing more than 250 people, and about 150 will be employed at a delivery station opening in greater Birmingham in November, Amazon said.
Gov. Kay Ivey said the new facilities could employ as many as 1,800 on a seasonal basis.
“Amazon’s decision to simultaneously launch and announce these projects in Alabama shows the high level of confidence the company has in the abilities of our hard-working citizens, who have shown time and time again that they can get the job done,” Ivey said. “Companies from around the world have discovered that Alabama offers them all the ingredients of success, and this is another prime example.”
Amazon said it has spent more than $1 billion on infrastructure and employee compensation in Alabama while creating more than 9,000 direct jobs. Workers at the company’s warehouse in the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer defeated a union drive earlier this year.
Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Amazon’s continued growth in the state strengthens strategic efforts to bring in more high-tech employers.
“Amazon’s presence in Alabama helps the state’s economic development team advance its goal of recruiting high-caliber projects with technology-focused jobs,” Secretary Canfield said. “This is a priority as we continue to work toward evolving Alabama’s economy and preparing our workers for 21st Century careers.”