Amazon is coming to Tulsa

[SlugSlinger]

Amazon Announces Further Expansion in Oklahoma with Tulsa Fulfillment Center
New facility will create 1,500 full-time jobs
June 08, 2018 05:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced plans to open its second Oklahoma fulfillment center in Tulsa, which will create 1,500 full-time jobs with opportunities for employees to engage with robotics technology. The company recently announced an upcoming fulfillment center in South Oklahoma City. Amazon currently operates a sortation center in Oklahoma City, where it employs hundreds of associates.

“Given its location near the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, this Amazon fulfillment center will undoubtedly have an historic impact on our tribal citizens and northeast Oklahoma at large”

Tweet this
“We are excited to bring a second fulfillment center to Oklahoma and work alongside the state’s incredible workforce,” said Mark Stewart, Amazon’s Vice President of North America Customer Fulfillment. “Support from local leaders has been instrumental in our ability to come to Oklahoma, and we are grateful for their collaboration to bring thousands of new jobs with benefits starting on day one.”

Amazon employees at the more than 600,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Tulsa fulfillment center will work alongside innovative technology created by Amazon Robotics. Employees at the fulfillment center will pick, pack and ship small items to customers such as books, household items and toys.

“I am incredibly thankful for Amazon’s decision to build a world-class facility in our city and to employ so many Tulsans. Amazon is changing the world and in Tulsa we look forward to being part of their team,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum. “This is the largest new employer announcement in Tulsa history. Our team at the City worked tirelessly with Amazon to ensure Tulsa was selected for this opportunity. We know Amazon could have selected any number of other cities and appreciate Amazon’s recognition of Tulsa as a city where they want to grow.”

“We at the Tulsa Regional Chamber are absolutely thrilled that this Amazon fulfillment center brings with it 1,500 quality, full-time jobs with benefits and professional development, not to mention the significant capital investment in our region,” said Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal. “The fact that this fulfillment center will feature the latest in automation aligns perfectly with the goal of attracting more new economy, technology-based jobs to our region. This is another great success story made possible by the Chamber-led Tulsa’s Future regional economic development program. The Tulsa Regional Chamber has forged strong partnerships with the City of Tulsa, the Cherokee Nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Tulsa Tech, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Those relationships make projects like this possible, which greatly benefits all of us in the region and the state.”

“The Cherokee Nation is proud to be a part of a coalition that continues to locate quality jobs to northeast Oklahoma,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “The announcement of a new Amazon fulfillment center in Tulsa and more than a thousand new jobs will help build a strong economy for the next seven generations of Cherokees, as well as our friends and neighbors. We couldn’t be more pleased with the continued joint effort on economic development between so many state and local partners.”

“Given its location near the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, this Amazon fulfillment center will undoubtedly have an historic impact on our tribal citizens and northeast Oklahoma at large,” said Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief James R. Floyd. “A project like this is a rare opportunity, and we are honored to play a role in this partnership of state, local and tribal entities. This significantly enhances the opportunity for economic prosperity of our tribal citizens. We look forward to a long-term relationship with Amazon and see it as a wonderful opportunity. In addition to the Tulsa center, we have more than 10,000 citizens in the Oklahoma City metro area that we hope to utilize for employment.”

Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare, 401(k) and company stock awards starting on day one. Amazon also offers generous maternity and parental leave benefits and access to innovative programs like Career Choice, where it will pre-pay up to 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. Since the program’s launch, more than 16,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology, to name a few.

Support from Oklahoma’s Department of Commerce was instrumental to bringing this project and the recently announced Oklahoma City fulfillment center to Oklahoma. The Tulsa project is being developed by Seefried Industrial Properties.

To learn more about working at an Amazon fulfillment center, interested candidates can visit www.amazondelivers.jobs.

 

[Poke78]

This will be interesting. Employers can't get enough people now but there's no telling what the employment numbers will be when this comes online. Also challenging will be issues like background checks, physicals, drug screens (especially if Med MJ passes), etc. Throw in the production performance criteria that requires 12 hours of hustle every day and it just doesn't look promising, IMO. AMZN had a fulfillment center in Coffeyville KS that they closed because there was too much shrinkage due to the light-fingered on the staff. I don't see how coming to a metro area improves that potential metric.

 

[harley128]

This will be interesting. Employers can't get enough people now but there's no telling what the employment numbers will be when this comes online. Also challenging will be issues like background checks, physicals, drug screens (especially if Med MJ passes), etc. Throw in the production performance criteria that requires 12 hours of hustle every day and it just doesn't look promising, IMO. AMZN had a fulfillment center in Coffeyville KS that they closed because there was too much shrinkage due to the light-fingered on the staff. I don't see how coming to a metro area improves that potential metric.

wow! Surprised at this reaction to such good economic news..

So, are you saying Amazon should then just stay away from all Metro areas in the US? Seems they've done pretty well in metro areas across the nation so far. Or, are you saying this is a Tulsa, or Oklahoma issue only ? I'm confused

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I'd be curious to see the tax incentives before calling this an economic win for Oklahoma. Wonder if they got one of those Bass Pro deals where they just pay, well, nothing.

 

[JD8]

This will be interesting. Employers can't get enough people now but there's no telling what the employment numbers will be when this comes online. Also challenging will be issues like background checks, physicals, drug screens (especially if Med MJ passes), etc. Throw in the production performance criteria that requires 12 hours of hustle every day and it just doesn't look promising, IMO. AMZN had a fulfillment center in Coffeyville KS that they closed because there was too much shrinkage due to the light-fingered on the staff. I don't see how coming to a metro area improves that potential metric.

 

[POKE1911]

I'd be curious to see the tax incentives before calling this an economic win for Oklahoma. Wonder if they got one of those Bass Pro deals where they just pay, well, nothing.

Tax generation is only part of economic impact.

 

[DavidMcmillan]

Goof grief! Economic development is a good thing. Incentives are given all the time. Sometimes we think they don't work out, normally because we focus on a narrow segment of the entire picture. Those employees buy stuff from other businesses, pay taxes, support families, etc. Amazon is a good thing for Oklahoma. Look for the good that is potentially coming rather than "Oh crap, another plague on Oklahoma"

 

[JD8]

Goof grief! Economic development is a good thing. Incentives are given all the time. Sometimes we think they don't work out, normally because we focus on a narrow segment of the entire picture. Those employees buy stuff from other businesses, pay taxes, support families, etc. Amazon is a good thing for Oklahoma. Look for the good that is potentially coming rather than "Oh crap, another plague on Oklahoma"

I remember a number of OSA members poo-pooing the BOK center here in Tulsa. Which has been the biggest primer for Downtown Tulsa growth to say the very least...

 

[BReeves]

A little surprised more fulfillment centers are not already here due to the central US location and rising shipping costs. Can't do anything but make my property value go up, good going Amazon.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I get that any business that employs local is good for the local economy, but how can any profitable company gets a pass on taxes. Not just local, on the federal level too. Given Amazons reputation, it's not like it's trickling down. If anything, it's costing consumers more, like in the case of postage. Amazon gets a bulk deal, America makes up the difference with higher priced services.