The giant Amazon warehouse that replaced the former General Motors Boxwood Road plant near Newport is opening soon.
Amazon officials say the more than 3-million-square-foot fulfillment center is scheduled to open late this summer or in early fall.
The company says it has already hired 500 employees for the Boxwood Road site, and is looking to double that by the end of the year. Amazon is offering a $3,000 sign-on bonus for new hourly workers.
The Boxwood Road site’s general manager William Carney says they’re hiring a variety of positions, “from our associates that do a lot of our stowing, putting product in our bins and our shelves, to our picking, packing—and even some of our more indirect technical positions, our leadership positions and our process guides.”
Carney talked to members of the media while Amazon employees participated in a volunteer cleanup at three Wilmington parks.
“We’re actually doing a few other volunteer activities later this week—with the Ronald McDonald House, most recently with the Delaware Humane Association,” he said. “When we look at being a local employer, that also means getting involved with the local community.”
Amazon will receive up to $4.5 million in state taxpayer-funded grants tied to capital investments and full-time hires at the Boxwood Road site.
The Delaware Economic Development Authority approved the controversial agreement last year.
