Amazon is getting ready to put its new 700,000-square-foot facility in Stone Mountain to work. It just needs 1,000 new employees.
The warehouse and the jobs coming with it are expected to have an impact beyond the building’s walls.
“These jobs are extremely, extremely important to Gwinnett, but not just Gwinnett,” said Andrew Carnes, vice president of economic development for business group Partnership Gwinnett. “This sits strategically near the DeKalb county line. The people working in this facility are not just going to be coming from Gwinnett or DeKalb. This is going to be a regional facility.”
The warehouse is expected to be operational before the start of the holiday season, Amazon spokeswoman Rachel Lighty said, but no date has been identified. Amazon, Gov. Brian Kemp and Gwinnett County leaders celebrated the facility’s completion in August.
Amazon has held hiring events and information sessions for Stone Mountain jobs recently, but actual hiring was to begin Monday, Sept. 28, Lighty said. The hiring process is expected to be completely virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic, and once hired, employees will be trained in person, Carnes said.
The 700,000-square-foot warehouse near U.S. 78 is the first Amazon distribution center in Georgia to utilize state-of-the-art robotics technology, said Rob Packett, Amazon’s director of operations, at that August celebration. Technology including robotic “drive units” and automated sorting equipment will help move packages through the building and fulfill orders.
The Amazon facility was approved by the county under the code name “Project Rocket” in September 2018. Neither commissioners nor the public knew for sure what company would be occupying the warehouse, but Amazon was heavily suspected. In July 2019, their suspicions were confirmed when the Seattle-based e-commerce giant formally announced plans to open in Gwinnett. State documents indicate that over time Amazon could invest $200 million in the project.
The project has already had ripple effects in the surrounding area, even before formally opening its doors. Gwinnett County approved $2.1 million in road improvements around the warehouse last year, and a new hotel and cafe are planned nearby. The facility could also bolster future development plans for the nearby former Olympic tennis center, which the county acquired in 2016, Carnes said.
Most of the new hires will be warehouse workers, earning at least $15 an hour and receiving benefits including health insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan on their first day of work, Lighty said.
Full-time employees also have the opportunity to participate in free on-the-job training in industrial truck operation and a continuing education program that can pay up to 95% of employees' tuition.
Those interested can apply at amazon.com/atlantajobs or text ATLNOW to 77088 for more information. Listings for the Stone Mountain jobs will be live Monday, Lighty said.
