The Boxwood Road Amazon fulfillment center is open—but still staffing up.
The MTN1 fulfillment center is in the process of hiring to levels required for it to tap into a $3 million taxpayer-funded grant from the state for hiring 1,000 full-time employees.
The company has hired around 500 entry-level employees at the site so far—and plans to double that by year’s end.
“We are shooting to hit 1,000 full-time associates by the end of the year,” said Michael Assetto, who works in human resources at Amazon.
Assetto says Amazon plans to continue recruiting efforts, including through community events, university job fairs, third-party employment agencies and an on-site recruitment office.
At an open house for media and elected officials Tuesday, Will Carney, general manager of the Boxwood Road site, touted opportunities for career growth at Amazon.
“All jobs at Amazon start at at least $15 per hour, with jobs actually averaging—hourly jobs—closer to $18 an hour, with full medical benefits, dental benefits, paid time off,” he said.
Carney says these entry-level employees work 10- or 12-hour shifts sorting, counting and packing inventory. He also points to a new company-wide investment in career development, including fully paid college tuition, GEDs, and English as a second language proficiency certifications.
Amazon will also receive up to $1.5 million in state grants for capital spending at the site.
The Boxwood Road fulfillment center has a footprint of 640,000 square feet and 7.6 million cubic feet of storage. Company officials say it also has more advanced robotics than many other fulfillment centers, helping keep employees safe.
“We have a state-of-the-art inbound flow, where now we can route our product not only throughout our different floors, but it comes directly to stations, without [employees] having to do some of the moving of cartons that you’d see at the other facilities,” Carney said.
Some citizens and elected officials opposedthe State Council on Development Finance’s unanimous decision last year to approve the Strategic Fund Grant to Amazon. Delaware Economic Development Authority chair and Division of Small Business Director at the time Damian DeStefano argued the grant was necessary to attract the company.
The MTN1 fulfillment center and neighboring delivery station add to the roughly 5,000 existing Amazon jobs in Delaware and contribute to the company’s more than $4 billion in investment in the state over the past ten years, according to the company.
