Amazon Celebrates 10 Years in Arizona; Employs 6,000 People in the Copper State

Amazon Celebrates 10 Years in Arizona; Employs 6,000 People in the Copper State

Between 2011 and 2016, Amazon's investments contributed more than $900 million into the state's economy, indirectly creating 18,000 additional jobs on top of the 6,000 the company employs directly

Amazon will create more than 1,000 jobs at a new facility and renovated existing site

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 2017-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)-This fall, Amazon will celebrate its ten year anniversary of fulfilling customer orders from the Phoenix-area by opening a new center supporting customer fulfillment and unveiling an overhaul of its original Valley facility. Together, the two facilities will create more than 1,000 new full-time positions for Phoenix's economy. These new jobs are on top of the 6,000 full-time workers Amazon now employs at four fulfillment centers and other locations throughout the Copper State.

Arizona has played an important role in Amazon's history, said Sanjay Shah, Amazon's Vice President of North America Customer Fulfillment. Our team in Arizona has been instrumental in providing outstanding customer experiences, raising the bar on our operational excellence, and continuing to innovate on behalf of the customer. Since our first day at the Buckeye Road facility, we've received amazing support from the community and we couldn't be prouder to be part of the Arizona family.

Amazon's first fulfillment center in the Valley, located at 6835 West Buckeye Road, opened in the fall of 2007 with a team of 300 full-time employees. (To see the original press release, click here.) Since that building's launch a decade ago, Amazon has opened three other fulfillment centers, a Prime Now hub, a sortation center, a customer/seller support center, and corporate offices in the Copper State. This fall, renovations were completed at the Buckeye Road facility and the building is now dedicated solely to handling apparel and shoes.

Over the past decade, Amazon has invested billions of dollars into its local fulfillment center infrastructure and through compensation to thousands of employees in the Copper State. Between 2011 and 2016, Amazon's investments in the state contributed an additional $900 million into Arizona's economy and using methodology developed by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Amazon estimates its investments in the state have created an additional 18,000 indirect jobs on top of the company's direct hires.

Amazon's contribution to the Arizona economy over the last 10 years has been a positive and notable force, said Governor Doug Ducey. From its creation of thousands of jobs to hiring military veterans to providing funding and opportunities for employees to go back to school to develop their career skills, we are excited to see Amazon grow and thrive in Arizona, because we are thriving too. Congratulations to Amazon for the last ten years and we look forward to many more to come.

Amazon's commitment to innovation and customer service has made them the go-to choice for online shopping, said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. We appreciate Amazon's investment in Phoenix, which has created thousands of jobs and opportunities for our residents.

Amazon in Arizona by the numbers:

4 fulfillment centers, three of which are located in Phoenix city limits

1 sortation center and 1 Prime Now hub

3 locations in Tempe: customer/seller service, a corporate office, and a development center

250 restaurants leverage Amazon's technological expertise to offer customers superfast delivery on hot food through Amazon Restaurants

Amazon associates have dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to charities such as Ohana Animal Rescue, St. Marys Food Bank Alliance, Packages From Home, Central Arizona Shelter Services, UMOM New Day Centers, the Pat Tillman Foundation, New Pathways for Youth, and STAR Academy

6,000 full-time employees in the greater Phoenix area

8,500 visitors have toured one of the local Amazon fulfillment centers since the tour program launched in 2014

18,000 estimated indirect jobs created as a result of Amazon's investment between 2011 and 2016

40,000 authors, sellers, and developers in Arizona growing their businesses and reaching new customers on Amazon products and services

145,000 pounds of food to Arizona Feeding America affiliates in 2016 and 2017

460,000 square feet for the new facility located at 5333 W. Lower Buckeye Road

$725,000 donated to charities in Arizona through monetary and in-kind donations since 2012

4,300,000 sq. ft. footprint of the four fulfillment centers

$900 million added into Arizona's economy between 2011 and 2016 due to Amazon's investments

Amazon's statewide impact can be seen in the local small businesses it empowers. For example, Jim and Maggie Umlauf are Phoenix residents and co-founders of 4Knines, LLC, a company that sells bespoke seat covers to protect car seats from dog fur. 4Knines uses Fulfillment By Amazon, a service that enables small businesses to use Amazon's resources to sell directly to customers. We launched 4Knines Seat Covers in 2013 on Amazon and have seen exponential growth year over year because Amazon gives small businesses the tools and support to succeed. Amazon has given us the opportunity to reach customers not only across the US but internationally as well.

Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare, 401(k) and company stock awards starting on day one. Amazon also offers regular full-time employees maternity and parental leave benefits and access to innovative programs like Career Choice, where it will pre-pay up to 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a

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