SHREVEPORT, LA. — Amazon Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZ) has planned a 650,000-square-foot fulfillment center in the northwestern Louisiana city of Shreveport. The Louisiana Economic Development (LED) organization claims the development will generate $200 million in capital investment and add more than 1,000 jobs to the local economy.
The site of the multi-level building, which will feature automated inventory management and shipping technology, is located within Hunter Industrial Park, a 135-acre development situated within three miles of interstates 20,49 and 220. The property will also be LEED certified.
The Shreveport Times reports that the fulfillment center will be Amazon’s first in northern Louisiana. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant announced a fulfillment center in Carencro, located outside of Lafayette in the southern part of the state, in December, and is also planning to convert the Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge into a fulfillment center, according to the local newspaper.
Of the seven Amazon facilities that have been announced or are under construction in Louisiana, the Shreveport fulfillment center will be the largest. Construction is set to begin immediately with completion expected in September 2022.
In addition to the 1,000 full-time jobs at the facility, development of the new fulfillment center is expected to create about 800 construction jobs, according to LED. Further, the organization estimates the project will result in the creation of an additional 1,118 new indirect jobs for vendors and other supply chain users that support Amazon.
In announcing the move, LED noted that one in five U.S. residents live within a 500-mile radius of Shreveport. To secure the deal, the Pelican State offered Amazon a package of incentives based on its investment in the local workforce. Some of these incentives will be used to offset costs of developing additional infrastructure at the site.
“This will be a valuable asset to our community and will provide employment opportunities to hundreds of our residents,” says Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins. “This project could change the life trajectory for many of our citizens who are still dealing with the financial fallout from the ongoing pandemic.”
Amazon’s stock price opened at $3,282.32 per share on Monday, May 10, up 38 percent from $2,374.70 per share a year ago.
— Taylor Williams