Amazon plans to create 1,000 new jobs in Mount Juliet
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(The Center Square) – Amazon plans on building a new fulfillment center in Tennessee that could bring 1,000 new jobs to Wilson County.
The 855,000-square-foot facility will be located in Mount Juliet, and is expected to launch in late 2021, Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced Friday afternoon.
“One of the great companies that has for many years invested in our state has decided to make an additional investment, and we are very pleased and grateful for Amazon, who will be creating 1,000 new jobs in Wilson County,” Lee said during a virtual news conference Friday.
Amazon has invested nearly $6.5 billion into its fulfillment infrastructure in Tennessee since 2010, according to the Department of Economic and Community Development. The Mount Juliet facility will be Amazon’s seventh fulfillment center in Tennessee, with other fulfillment centers in Charleston, Chattanooga, Lebanon, Memphis, Murfreesboro and Nashville. The company has hired about 6,500 Tennesseans since 2010, the department said. Lee said $8.7 billion of Tennessee’s GDP is attributable to Amazon investments.
“You’ve chosen Tennessee in a big way,” Lee said. “In the midst of all the challenges that everyone is facing right now, this is a very bright spot. It’s part of the hope that I have and the certainty that I have about the future of our state.”
The fulfillment center will be Amazon’s second facility in Tennessee to use robotics technology, said Jason Bradley, Amazon’s regional operations director. The other facility is under construction in Memphis, announced by Amazon last January.
“Amazon is excited about our new fulfillment center, and committed to being a good employer and community partner in Wilson County,” Bradley said.
Employees at the new facility will pick, pack and ship smaller items such as books, toys, and electronics.
“I want to add my gratitude for the way Amazon invests not only dollars and creating jobs, but they’re an investor in the community,” Lee said. “They become part of the community where they locate, investing in schools, and investing in nonprofits – really giving much more to the community than jobs and financial investments.”
