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Tag: fulfillment center

Eastern Va. Big Deal: Prime location

Doug Smith isn’t surprised Amazon.com has extended its reach in Hampton Roads.

The Hampton Roads Alliance president and CEO says Amazon’s expansion in the commonwealth has been a constant since the global e-commerce behemoth announced in 2018 that it would locate its East Coast corporate headquarters, Amazon HQ2, in Arlington County.

The latest push includes two new Virginia Beach facilities — a fulfillment center and a delivery station — announced in September 2023 that will total $350 million in investments and are projected to add more than 1,100 full-time jobs to Hampton Roads.

Amazon says it plans to open the 219,000-square-foot delivery station at the intersection of Harpers and Dam Neck roads in time for the 2024 holiday shopping season, while the company plans for its robotics fulfillment center to come online in late 2025 in an adjacent space. The announcement is tied for the largest jobs announcement in Virginia in 2023, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Construction has started on both projects.

“I’ve seen [Amazon] officials say, ‘Now that this is our home, we’re going to invest significantly in our home,’” Smith says. “So, I think you’re seeing that.”

Small items like books, electronics and toys will get picked, packaged and shipped from the 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center.

The announcement is just the latest for Amazon, which counts more than 30 fulfillment centers and delivery stations in Virginia, including this announcement. These will be the first of each for Virginia Beach.

Amazon opened its first Virginia facility in Sterling in 2006, and the Seattle-based Fortune Global 500 retailer has been an ongoing boon for the state’s economy. Amazon has invested more than $109 billion in Virginia since 2010, creating more than 36,000 jobs, according to VEDP. The state is also home to Amazon’s Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh stores, Prime Now hubs and Amazon Web Services data centers.

“Virginia is a great state for business,” says Amazon spokesperson Ian Allen-Anderson. “For more than a decade, Amazon has called the commonwealth home and is committed to continuing investments in Virginia with our time, resources and community dedication.”

In addition to the jobs it’s created, more than 11,000 independent sellers in Virginia operate through Amazon’s market place, according to the company, and its investments have accounted for more than 200,000 indirect jobs and $72 billion contributed to Virginia’s gross domestic product since the company opened for business in the state. The company is the fifth largest private employer in Virginia, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.

“Amazon’s cutting-edge fulfillment centers generate major capital investment and thousands of jobs and strengthen Virginia’s position as a logistics industry leader on the East Coast,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said when announcing the Virginia Beach expansion. “We see Amazon’s expanding footprint impacting economic growth and innovation across the commonwealth, and we will continue to compete for additional investment in Virginia.”

For Amazon executives, Hampton Roads’ maritime industry and area workforce were globally competitive standouts, says Suzanne Clark, VEDP’s managing director of communications. Amazon’s recent commitments in the region include a 3.8 million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk with 1,500 full-time employees.

Allen-Anderson points to the region’s strong transportation infrastructure and Virginia Beach’s proximity within 25 miles of the Port of Virginia as major factors in the company’s site location.

That comes as no surprise to Smith, whose regional economic development organization worked to secure the Amazon deal alongside VEDP and the city, which last year approved $22.5 million to support public road and stormwater improvements around the project’s location.

“Our basic DNA is we are a maritime industrial economy, and so, you play to your strengths,” Smith says.

The region’s highly trained workforce is no secret to companies like Amazon, Smith says. More than 13,000 graduating college students and 18,000 graduating high school students join the area’s workforce annually, according to estimates from the National Center for Education Statistics.

But unlike other areas with a comparable workforce of recent graduates, Hampton Roads also sees an annual boost from around 12,000 to 15,000 exiting military members — a yearly number that can jump significantly when including spouses and other family members.

“We’re a regional workforce,” says Norfolk Director of Economic Development Sean Washington. “Companies see what it looks like to leverage the whole [metropolitan statistical area]. They look at talent from the whole MSA, which is why we all continue to communicate with our partners in other cities.”  

Amazon to open fulfillment, delivery facilities in Va. Beach

Amazon.com will launch a fulfillment center and delivery station in Virginia Beach, creating an estimated 1,000 full-time jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday.

Groundbreaking began Monday, according to Ian Allen-Anderson, an Amazon spokesperson. The fulfillment center will be located at the intersection of Harpers and Dam Neck roads, and the delivery station will be “at an adjacent site.” Amazon declined to disclose its expected capital investment.

Amazon anticipates launching operations at the delivery station in time for the 2024 holiday season and at the 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in 2025. Employees at this center will pack and ship small items like books, electronics and toys, according to a news release.

“Amazon’s cutting-edge fulfillment centers generate major capital investment and thousands of jobs and strengthen Virginia’s position as a logistics industry leader on the East Coast,” Youngkin said in a statement. “We see Amazon’s expanding footprint impacting economic growth and innovation across the commonwealth, and we will continue to compete for additional investment in Virginia.”

Amazon opened its first fulfillment center in the state in 2006, in Sterling. The Virginia Beach buildings will be the company’s 14th sorting and fulfillment center in Virginia and its 17th delivery station. The e-tailer expects to launch an Amazon robotics fulfillment center in Henrico County, announced in 2021, later this fall. In September 2022, Amazon opened a 3.8 million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk, the second largest building in the state, after the Pentagon. That facility cost $230 million to build, and it employs about 1,500 people.

Along with HQ2, the e-tailer’s $2.5 billion East Coast headquarters in Arlington, Amazon has 15 Whole Foods Markets, five Amazon Fresh stores and three Prime Now Hubs — located in Virginia Beach, Richmond and Springfield and focused on one- and two-hour deliveries to Prime members — in the state.

The Amazon Web Services subsidiary also operates multiple data centers in the state but has not disclosed the number. From 2011 to 2021, AWS invested more than $51.9 billion in Virginia, according to an economic impact statement released in June. In July, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted to amend the county’s comprehensive plan to make data centers a targeted industry, and AWS has since filed three rezoning requests within the county and one in neighboring Caroline County.

“Virginia is a great state for business and gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers in the region,” Holly Sullivan, Amazon’s vice president of worldwide economic development and public policy, said in a statement. “We are excited for our future in the commonwealth, and for what this means for our customers as we continue to grow.”

Since 2010, the company has invested more than $109 billion in Virginia and has created more than 36,000 direct jobs and supported 200,000 indirect jobs in fields like construction and professional services, according to a news release, and has contributed more than $72 billion to the state’s gross domestic product.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the city of Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads Alliance to secure the project. The city will fund stormwater and road improvements between Dam Neck Road and London Bridge Road to provide access to the new facilities, and Dominion Energy will provide power to the sites.

Youngkin tours Amazon’s new robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk

Amazon.com Inc.’s 3.8-million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk opened in September, but the global retail colossus held an official grand opening at the facility Thursday, allowing Amazon officials to show off the center to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who attended the opening event and took a tour.

The $230 million, four-and-a-half-story building in Northgate Commerce Park is the second-largest building in Virginia — behind the Pentagon — and has 1,500 employees. It processes about 200,000 packages per day, with plans to ramp up to 1 million per day. 

General Manager Gregory Lum puts a vest on Gov. Glenn Youngkin before the pair tour Amazon’s robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk. Photo by Robyn Sidersky

Under construction for the past two years, it’s one of dozens of Amazon facilities around the commonwealth, including several in Hampton Roads, but it’s Amazon’s first robotics fulfillment center in Virginia. Located at 2020 Northgate Commerce Parkway, the facility is nine football fields long and has more than 13 miles of conveyance, Gregory Lum, the facility’s general manager told the crowd assembled for the center’s grand opening.

In addition to Youngkin, government officials in attendance included U.S. Rep Bobby Scott, state Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick, Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard “Shep” Miller III and state Del. Emily Brewer, R-Isle of Wight, among others.

“When I think of Amazon, I think of innovation. I think of boldness. I think of a company that is driven every day to be best in class. And those themes resonate with our governor, who wants Virginia to be best in class,” Merrick said during the event.

Youngkin highlighted the workforce Amazon is creating across the commonwealth, and the 30,000 jobs the company already has created here, as well as investments the retailer has made in logistics facilities and HQ2, Amazon’s $2.5 billion East Coast headquarters being built in Arlington, which is expected to create another 20,000 to 25,000 jobs over the next decade. 

“Today we have the chance to peek inside, peek inside at the amazing capabilities that drive Amazon’s ability to provide extraordinary customer service, state-of-the-art access and opportunity to customers, and oh, by the way, the coolest robots you have ever, ever seen,” Youngkin said. “What we will see today is the next generation of what robotics alongside an extraordinary workforce can do together … but it also represents the commitment that Amazon has made to maintain a culture that rests on innovation.”

The building represents Amazon’s newest robotics technology in the country, an Amazon spokesperson told Virginia Business. The Suffolk center packages items that are 18 inches or smaller and serves the entire mid-Atlantic region, one of the reasons for the facility’s immense size.

“We have introduced the robotics technology to help make our operations safer and more efficient and that’s exactly what they’re doing,” said Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lighty, adding that the robotic technology allows Amazon to ship packages to its customers faster and more efficiently, allowing human employees to focus on more sophisticated roles. Lum, the facility’s general manager, noted that the robots do “the heavy lifting” so humans don’t have to.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin chats with Amazon employee Tamya Crawford on a tour of the new facility in Suffolk. Photo by Robyn Sidersky

While touring the facility, Youngkin stopped to chat with employees working alongside robots to process and prepare customer orders for delivery. Thousands of items peeked out from yellow bins, waiting to be placed in Amazon-branded packaging. 

Youngkin stopped and spoke with Tamya Crawford, an area manager overseeing a team for one part of the fulfillment process. “It’s not easy work, but it’s rewarding,” said Crawford, who worked for Amazon for about a decade at facilities in Pennsylvania and Central Virginia before joining the Suffolk center this year.

Amazon opens new Chesapeake facility

Last week Amazon.com Inc. opened its new, 640,000-square-foot processing facility in Chesapeake, the global e-tailer’s first cross-dock fulfillment center in Virginia.

About 900 of the 1,000 workers that Amazon announced it would be hiring for the facility are already on the job, an Amazon spokeswoman told Virginia Business.

Located at 5045 Portsmouth Blvd., the Chesapeake center receives and consolidates products from vendors and ships them to surrounding fulfillment centers within Amazon’s network. A similar facility planned for Stafford County will create 500 jobs and is expected to be operational by the second half of the year.

“Amazon has quickly become one of Hampton Roads’ largest and most engaged employers,” Hampton Roads Alliance President and CEO Douglas L. Smith said in a statement. “The opening of this facility in Chesapeake represents yet another milestone in their tremendous growth in the region, aided by the impressive collaboration between our partners in the city of Chesapeake, [the] Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Port of Virginia. We are confident that this is only the beginning of Amazon’s relationship with the Hampton Roads community.”

Full-time employees at the Amazon facility make $18 an hour, and earn benefits such as a 401(k) with 50% company match and up to 20 weeks of parental leave, the company says.

Amazon has opened facilities all over the commonwealth, first launching its Virginia operations in Sterling in 2006. Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $34 billion in Virginia through fulfillment centers, cloud infrastructure and research facilities. The e-commerce giant has made 30,000 direct hires and created 96,000 indirect jobs, according to a news release. Amazon is also building out its multibillion-dollar HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington County.

Amazon be nimble, Amazon be quick

When it comes to building warehouses and distribution centers, one company has sought out Virginia over and over again: Amazon.com Inc.

The e-commerce giant began opening facilities in Virginia in 2006 and since then has opened more than 30 facilities in the commonwealth, with more on the way as it seeks to shrink the time between a customer’s click and the delivery of their package — in spite of the nation’s labor shortage and supply chain woes.

Virginia’s economic development officials have made a flurry of announcements of new Amazon fulfillment and distribution centers, which now employ more than 30,000 full- and part-time workers in the state, following the company’s 2018 decision to build its East Coast headquarters — HQ2 — in Arlington. The company expects to hire at least 4,000 more people in the commonwealth after current industrial projects are completed during the next two years.

In February, Amazon announced it will bring a 1 million-square-foot, nonsortable fulfillment center to Augusta County, creating 500 jobs. It’s expected to be operational in spring 2023. Before that, in November 2021, Amazon said it would build a 630,000-square-foot facility at Northern Virginia Gateway in Stafford County, set to open in the second half of 2022, creating 500 jobs. A similar facility is planned in Chesapeake, set to open by July. And those are just a few of the recent announcements.

 “Amazon operates more than 30 facilities in Virginia, from Norfolk to Bristol and everywhere in between. We are proud to provide jobs for more than 30,000 [workers] while boosting the overall economy,” says Maura Kennedy, Amazon’s economic development manager for Virginia. “Amazon’s success and our ongoing expansion efforts in the Old Dominion are a tribute to the diverse and skilled workers that call Virginia home. I look forward to seeing our continued growth for years to come.”  

Some of Amazon’s largest projects in Virginia are set to come online this year, including the 3.8 million-square-foot multistory robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk that is set to create 1,000 jobs. When it opens this spring, it will be the largest industrial building in the state. Meanwhile, in Henrico County, a 650,000-square-foot Amazon robotics fulfillment center is being built on a 119-acre site adjacent to Richmond International Raceway. Set to be finished in October, that project also is expected to create 1,000 jobs.  

Amazon has “a pretty significant presence in Henrico, beyond the facility that they’re building,” says Anthony Romanello, executive director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority. Amazon rents space for last-mile delivery in Westwood and near the racetrack, and Romanello says Amazon’s expansion there has been well-received by other county businesses. 

“Everything I’m hearing has been very positive,” Romanello says. “There’s a lot of excitement about the project. Certainly right now, in industrial construction, it’s been challenging to find materials [and] to find skilled labor, so when you have a project of this magnitude, it certainly exacerbates the market forces there.”

However, he notes, those challenges were in place before the Amazon project came along.

Compared with industrial projects that require megasites of more than 100 acres, Amazon needs less land for its buildings, says Virginia Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Jason El Koubi. However, the e-tailer does have to have utilities, fiber-optic cable and other “shovel-ready” components in place, Romanello says.

Amazon is building a 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center expected to open in October in eastern Henrico County. Photo by Kira Jenkins
Amazon is building a 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center expected to open in October in eastern Henrico County. Photo by Kira Jenkins

Giant footprints

Aside from job creation, Amazon also is having a major impact on commercial real estate, both in creating higher demand for land and causing prices to rise in some markets.

“They’re growing at such a rapid pace, they are singlehandedly driving a lot of demand and taking up a lot of space all on their own,” says Geoff Poston, senior vice president of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer’s Hampton Roads industrial group. 

Amazon mostly leases property, but sometimes the company buys land, though Poston expects the company will acquire more properties once the pandemic-driven demand for warehousing slows down. 

Going back to 2020, he points out, five of the top six commercial real estate deals in the Hampton Roads region that year were made by Amazon. 

“It’s pretty astonishing for our market,” he says. “Hampton Roads is the 38th [largest] metro [area in the nation], and to have them take down that much space in our market, it’s got to have an effect. As the market tightens and there is less space, rates will go up and demand gets higher, and there is more competition. Maybe in an indirect way or a small way, they are having an effect.”

For example, Poston says, in Suffolk, land near Amazon’s robotics fulfillment center is at a premium, and individual leasing costs also have been affected by the e-tailer. “They have so much money and are able to afford more and muscle other tenants out if they are competing over a space,” he says. “They’re not afraid to pay.” 

Amazon is likely to remain a significant player in the state’s industrial real estate market for some time to come, driving prices up but also increasing interest in Virginia among other companies, particularly in the logistics space.

In essence, says El Koubi, Amazon’s outsized Virginia presence has allowed the state to attract and retain other industrial projects during the past couple of years, “reinforcing the advantages that make the commonwealth a leader in the supply chain industry.” ν

Walgreens to establish $34.2M fulfillment center in Hanover

Walgreens will invest $34.2 million to establish a micro-fulfillment center in Hanover County, a project expected to create 249 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday.

The 65,686-square-foot facility will be located at the 185,000-square-foot Atlee Station Logistics Center and will have automated machinery to allow for a flexible operating model.

“The Walgreens micro-fulfillment center in Hanover County will be located in strategic proximity to all East Coast markets and greater Richmond’s workforce,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Walgreens is a household brand that provides critical pharmaceutical and health care services, and I am proud that Virginia’s outstanding logistics advantages will play a role in enhancing customer delivery.”

Walgreens, a subsidiary of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., operates nearly 9,000 retail locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and serves about 9 million customers every day. It currently operates more than 200 stores in Virginia and employs more than 4,600 residents.

“Fulfillment centers like this one in Virginia are dedicated to fulfilling retail prescription orders and play an important role in our effort to create the pharmacy of the future, one that further enables our store pharmacy teams to spend more of their time providing front-line patient care,” Lisa Badgley, Walgreens’ senior vice president of operations, said. “The greater Richmond area was selected due to its favorable business climate, able workforce and premier location.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Hanover County and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project, for which Virginia competed with other states. Walgreens is eligible to receive benefits from the Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for full-time jobs created. The VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program will provide funding to support employee recruitment and training activities.

Amazon to open Augusta County distribution facility

Amazon.com Inc. will open a 1 million-square-foot, nonsortable fulfillment center in Augusta County, creating 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.

The facility at 32 Trader Road in Fishersville will open in spring 2023 and will pick, pack and ship bulky or larger-sized items, such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment or rugs.

“This new 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Augusta County will enhance Amazon’s supply chain and create 500 valuable jobs for the Shenandoah Valley,” Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick said in a statement. “Virginia’s position as a premier logistics destination is bolstered by continued investments from industry leaders like Amazon, which is catalyzing economic development in regions across the commonwealth.”

Amazon has more than 30 fulfillment and sorting centers and delivery stations in Virginia. The first opened in Sterling in 2006.

“We are proud to expand our Virginia operations with this Fishersville fulfillment center,” said Amazon’s Vice President of North America Customer Fulfillment Melissa Nick. “This facility joins two recently launched delivery stations in Waynesboro and Louisa and will be vital to our ability to serve customers and provide great selection and fast Prime shipping speeds across the region.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Augusta County and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership to secure the project for Virginia. Amazon is eligible to receive benefits from the state’s Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit for new, full-time jobs created.

Other Amazon projects coming in 2022 include an inbound cross-dock fulfillment center in Chesapeake and a robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk, both opening in spring.

“Jump-starting the economy is a top priority for my administration, and we celebrate the 500 new jobs in Augusta County and a strengthened partnership with Amazon,” Youngkin said. “Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Virginia is a testament to the commonwealth’s exceptional infrastructure, competitive business costs and long-term commitment that I’ve made to make sure we are developing talent and training workers to make Virginia the best state for business.”

Amazon to create 1,000 jobs with Henrico fulfillment center

Amazon.com Inc. plans to build a multistory, 650,000-square-foot facility robotics fulfillment center at Richmond Raceway in Henrico County, creating 1,000 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday.

The center, which will be built on 119 acres of ancillary land used for overflow parking by the raceway, is expected to open in 2022.

“Amazon continues to demonstrate confidence in Virginia by expanding and reinvesting in our commonwealth,” Northam said in a statement. “This new robotics fulfillment center in Henrico County is the latest milestone in the growing partnership between Amazon and Virginia, and reinforces our standing as both a technology hub and a leader in supply chain management. As we work to rebound from the impacts of the pandemic, we are grateful for Amazon’s commitment to supporting our communities and providing jobs to thousands of Virginians.”

The robotics facility is the second such Amazon facility in development for Virginia. The mammoth e-tailer also is building a $230 million, five-story robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk’s Northgate Commerce Park, as well as a $50 million, 650,000-square-foot import processing center in Chesapeake’s Western Branch area.

The Henrico facility will be located on one of two undeveloped parcels totaling 247 acres north of Azalea Avenue, east of Wilkinson Road and on either side of Richmond Henrico Turnpike that have previously been used by the raceway for overflow parking.

Richmond Raceway, which is owned by NASCAR, last week sold the 119-acre portion of the parcel where Amazon’s fulfillment center will be located to Dallas-based Hillwood Investment Properties. Hillwood worked with Richmond Raceway to get the two parcels rezoned for industrial use in 2020 as part of a larger partnership with NASCAR to redevelop surplus land at raceway tracks around the nation and spur economic development in communities where NASCAR operates. Hillwood has also partnered with Amazon to develop several distribution center projects around the country.

Amazon is currently building its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington, where it has hired about 1,600 of its projected 25,000 to 37,850 HQ2 employees. The company has more than 27,000 full-time and part-time employees in Virginia, where it has 10 fulfillment and sortation centers and delivery stations, as well as 13 Whole Foods Market locations and three Prime Now hubs.

“Amazon has been proud to call Virginia home since 2006,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “Collectively, it takes a strong workforce and local support network to serve our customers across the commonwealth and the region. The launch of this state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Central Virginia will create more than 1,000 jobs with industry-leading pay and benefits starting on the first day of employment. I’m excited to see Virginians continue to excel at Amazon, building better and brighter futures.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the Henrico Economic Development Authority, The Port of Virginia and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the fulfillment center for Virginia. Funding and services to support Amazon’s employee training activities for the center will be provided through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program. Amazon is eligible to receive benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program for the project, as well as the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Amazon to open fulfillment center in Prince George County

Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. — which is building its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington — will open a fulfillment center for its AmazonBasics line in Prince George County by the end of the year, creating 150 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. 

The fulfillment center will open in the former 798,000-square-foot Ace Hardware Corp. facility on Crater Road, making it the 11th fulfillment center in the state to open since 2013. The company’s other Virginia fulfillment, sortation and delivery stations are located in Ashland, Chesapeake, Chester, Clear Brook, Petersburg, Richmond, Springfield and Sterling.

Although the cost of the project was not disclosed by the state, the former Ace Hardware warehouse was sold for $21.75 million in July 2019. The company announced in 2017 that it would restructure its East Coast distribution and instead open one 1.1 million-square-foot site in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania for its retail support. The entirety of the restructuring changes took approximately two years to complete.

“This investment expands Amazon’s footprint in Virginia and is a strong testament to our competitive business climate, prime East Coast location, and unmatched talent,” Northam said in a statement. “We continue to build on our corporate partnership with Amazon, and we are pleased that the new fulfillment center will create up to 150 well-paid jobs in Prince George County.”

“We anticipate that the fulfillment center will launch in time for the 2020 holiday shopping season,” says Rachael Lighty, regional manager, external communications for Amazon operations, adding that more details on construction timeline and hiring are to come.

The positions will pay at least $15 per hour. As a company, Amazon has a commitment to paying that as a minimum wage — more than double Virginia’s current $7.25 minimum wage.

Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball credits Prince George’s close proximity to Interstate 95 as one appeal to Amazon for a fulfillment center.

“The new fulfillment center in Prince George County will provide Amazon optimal access to national markets from Interstate 95,” Ball said in a statement. “This important project will re-open the former Ace Hardware facility and create valuable jobs, and we thank the company for continuing to expand in Virginia.”