Amazon to bring new $100M distribution center and 500 jobs to Johnston County
Amazon is planning another major expansion in the Triangle, with a $100 million distribution and fulfillment center in the works for Smithfield, Johnston County officials announced Monday.
The company will build a 620,000-square-foot warehouse in the West Smithfield Industrial Park by 2022 that will create 500 jobs paying at least $15 an hour.
“By welcoming Amazon here, we have embarked on a new era of growth with an immediate impact on job creation and a ripple effect on every aspect of our local economy,” Smithfield Mayor Andy Moore said Monday when the project was announced at a public hearing in Johnston County.
Direct and ancillary job growth will bring an estimated $97 million in annual revenue to the town and county, according to an economic analysis by N.C. State University economist Michael Walden that was presented by county officials. The projected date for full creation of 500 jobs is 2024.
Jobs at the fulfillment center will offer competitive pay with benefits and health insurance, a 401(k) with a 50% match and paid parental leave, according to the town and county. Workers also will have access to Amazon’s Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for training courses in high-demand industries.
After the incentives are awarded, the county will have invested $1.9 million into Amazon over a seven-year period, officials said.
Amazon will receive a local incentive package funded through taxes incrementally paid to the town and county that won’t be a cost to taxpayers. By 2024, Amazon will be the town’s largest taxpayer, officials said.
No state incentives will be given to Amazon as part of the agreement.
“Amazon has found a home in North Carolina, and we are excited about this latest announcement for Smithfield,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release. “Our world-class workforce is ready to step up and make the new, state-of-the-art facility a strong link in the company’s supply chain.”
A new Amazon delivery station facility will come to Fayetteville and bring hundreds of jobs, the company announced last week. Amazon delivery stations are also set to open in the next year in Raleigh and Garner, The News & Observer reported previously.
Amazon currently has five fulfillment and sort centers in North Carolina, including one in Garner. The company has created over 27,000 full-time and part-time jobs in the state and invested more than $2.1 billion across the state, according to company figures.
Fortune 500 company expansion
Monday’s announcement comes after Fortune 500 company Berry Global announced last month it would make a $70 million investment by expanding its facility in Benson, creating 63 new jobs for Johnston County.
Berry Global will receive the same county incentive package based on taxes paid that Amazon will get.
The company, based in Evansville, Indiana, makes plastic packaging and nonwoven fabrics, including disinfectant wipes.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 11:32 AM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of revenue Amazon’s investment would bring to Smithfield and Johnston County. Officials said the amount will be around $97 million.
