After months of refusing to say whether it planned to open a new distribution center in Spokane, Amazon announced Thursday it will add a nonsort fulfillment center in Eastern Washington’s largest city.
The 1.3 million square-foot center at 18007 E. Garland Ave. will employ 1,000 people, adding to the 4,000 Amazon employees already employed in Spokane.
The $101 million warehouse, scheduled to open later this year, will specialize in large items such as patio furniture, outdoor sports equipment, pet food, bulk cleaning supplies and paper goods. It will provide faster shipping times for customers.
“While this new fulfillment center is located in Spokane Valley, it will likely provide new jobs for residents in North Idaho as well,” Amazon spokesperson Anne Laughlin said in an email to the Idaho Statesman.
Spokane is located 25 miles west of Post Falls and 33 miles west of Coeur d’Alene.
An unnamed company filed for a building permit in early November at the Garland Avenue location. Until now, Amazon would not confirm that it was preparing a new building.
“Amazon is grateful for the warm welcome we received from the community when we launched our new Spokane fulfillment center last year,” Catie Hydeman, an Amazon director of nonsort operations, said in a press release. “We are pleased by the continued support from community leaders and look forward to growing these partnerships in the years ahead.”
Amazon offers a starting wage of $15 per hour, along with medical, dental and vision insurance and 401(k) retirement plan with a 50% match.
The company opened a warehouse in Nampa late last year with a staff of 2,000 people.
The company also has delivery stations, where larger trucks drop off packages for the final delivery to customers, near the Boise Airport (a little over three miles away from the new building) and in Nampa. The company is building a third delivery station at Franklin and Ten Mile roads in Meridian.
The Boise City Council in December approved an agreement between the city, The Boyer Co., and an LLC named “Amazon.com Services” to allow Amazon to build a “sortation facility” at 2155 Freight St. The city owns the land, although the Utah-based Boyer Co. manages it and leases it for development.
Balloting on union representation began last week at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. The company’s 5,000 Bessemer employees are being asked whether they want to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
If the effort succeeds, it will be the first unionized shop in the United States. The most recent U.S. union drive, in Delaware in 2014, failed. Unions are prominent in the company’s European warehouses.
Reporter John Sowell has worked for the Statesman since 2013. He covers business and growth issues. He grew up in Emmett and graduated from the University of Oregon.If you like seeing stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a digital subscription to the Idaho Statesman.
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