Amazon is moving to town bringing with it up to one thousand jobs.
The fulfillment center will be Amazon's first in West Michigan. The e-commerce company chose a 100-acre piece of property at the corner of 68th and Patterson in Gaines Township.
Planner Mark Sisson says it’s a large project; bigger than nearby furniture company Steelcase. The site is already set up for industrial development. “Fortunately, with the property being where it is, near where Steelcase is located, a lot of work was already done a decade ago. The site was ready to go."
According to Amazon, its fulfillment centers are giant warehouses that hold anything you order on Amazon.com. "On the other end they are shipped out. There is robotics involved, labor in packing and shipping. It's materials in, materials out", says Sisson.
Once completed, Amazon will have up to 1,000 full-time employees and likely offer part-time work during its busy season. Most of the positions pay $11 to $13 dollars an hour with benefits.
Amazon chose Gaines Township over locations in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Gaines Township is providing a 50% property tax abatement in support of the project.
Construction should begin this summer, but hiring likely won't happen until early 2019.