Amazon Distribution Center Brings 1,000 Jobs To Metro Area
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- By late summer, when customers in the Denver metro area order items from online retailer Amazon, those products may be delivered quickly thanks to a massive fulfillment center under construction in Aurora.
CBS4 Reporter Jennifer Brice got a sneak peek inside the new facility on Friday.
The Amazon center is located on Smith Road, off Interstate 70. CBS4's camera crew went inside the 1 million square foot fulfillment center.
It will mostly be home to larger items like sports gear and furniture says Paul Pace, a Regional Director of Operations for Amazon.
"Larger kitchenware, for example," Pace says. "Or even outdoor ware or large hoses, shoves and rakes."
As CBS4 toured the facility, construction crews prepped the ground for more concrete to be poured Saturday.
A total of 130 million pounds of concrete will be used to construct the building.
It will bring at least 1,000 full time jobs, including benefits from day one, according to Amazon spokesperson Ashley Robinson.
"That includes health, medical, dental insurance, 401k with a 50 percent match, performance based bonuses and stock options," said Robinson.
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan says having Amazon make a home in Aurora not only brings significant impact to the economy, but it has a ripple effect on business. He says the fulfillment facility will spur other kinds of development for the Front Range.
"It will also spur similar facilities," Hogan says. "Other companies to say, 'Hmm, Aurora, Denver metro area - maybe we need to be there too.'"
By late summer, as the building get closer to opening, Amazon will begin hiring. Amazon also has a "Career Choice Program" where they pre-paying up to 95 percent of tuition costs for associates who want to go back to school.
Jennifer Brice is a reporter with CBS4 focusing on crime and courts. Follow her on Facebook or on Twitter @CBS4Jenn.