Amazon to expand Ruskin facility, creating hundreds of jobs
- By Jamal Thalji and Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writers
Tuesday, May 5, 2015 9:32am
RUSKIN — Whether it comes to selling books or DVDs or tortilla chips, Amazon always has a plan.Now
the world's biggest online store is ready to execute the next phase of
its plan in southern Hillsborough County: Amazon announced Tuesday that
it will double the operational capacity of its massive Ruskin warehouse
and add hundreds of full-time jobs.
"This was always the plan," said Amazon spokeswoman Nina Lindsey. "But now the timing is right."
Amazon finished construction on the 1.1 million square foot
fulfillment center in September and hired more than 1,000 workers to run
it. The facility, located at 3350 Laurel Ridge Ave. by Interstate 75
and State Road 674, has shipped millions of packages since.
But the company left room inside the cavernous building — it's 10
times the size of the average Home Depot — to one day expand its ability
to store and ship even more packages to customers across Florida and
the world.
The Seattle company has decided the time for that expansion has come,
Lindsey said. Construction inside the warehouse has already started,
though Amazon has not said when the work will be finished, when it will
start adding full-time workers or how many it will hire.
"What we're doing now is adding additional inventory space to
increase the amount of items we're able to store in the fulfillment
center," Lindsey said. "That means we'll be able to increase our
selection in the region, which will allow us to offer the super-fast
shipping speed that Amazon customers expect from us."
Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandra Murman said that
Amazon's arrival has helped fuel the economic growth of south county and
will continue to do so.
"When you look at the population increase projections for south
county over the next 10-15 years, Amazon's fully aware of the fact that
they're going to be the hub of a huge economic engine that's developing
in the area," Murman said. "They knew that by being the first one, the
lead, they would be the catalyst for change. That's what makes it so
exciting"
Amazon has two fulfillment centers in Florida. The Ruskin warehouse
handles packages smaller than a microwave. The facility in Lakeland
ships big-ticket items like TVs and canoes. The company also has two
"sortation" centers in Miami and Davenport that allows it to ship
packages seven days a week.
Amazon did not reveal how many millions of packages are shipped from
its Ruskin center every year. But the company said it rushed to get the
warehouse open in time for last Christmas to help it during a
record-breaking holiday season last year.
Amazon said it sold 36.8 million items on Cyber Monday alone last
year, which is the traditional frenzy of online shopping that takes
place on the Monday after Thanksgiving.
That meant Amazon shipped 426 packages a second that day thanks, in part, to its Ruskin center.
Amazon plans to add hundreds of jobs to its
Ruskin fulfillment center, likely this year. Anyone interested in
applying for a job should go online at www.workatamazonfulfillment.com.
Amazon to expand Ruskin facility, creating hundreds of jobs 05/05/15
[Last modified: Tuesday, May 5, 2015 4:33pm]
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