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Gov. Nathan Deal joined with officials from the Gwinnett Chamber and the city of Norcross recently in a groundbreaking ceremony for FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., at the future site of its new distribution facility. The company will invest $55 million in the construction of this facility. The company’s initial workforce for the new facility is projected to include 240 full-time and part-time employees and 75 independent contractor opportunities, drawn from the existing Norcross workforce.
“As a global logistics hub, Georgia provides FedEx Ground with a high-performing, interconnected logistics infrastructure that helps the company provide the superior level of service to which its customers have become accustomed,” said Deal. “FedEx Ground will find Gwinnett County is a strategic home for its distribution operation as the company seeks to expand and thrive in Georgia.”
FedEx Ground’s Norcross distribution center will be a 215,000-square-foot facility on Atlantic Avenue near Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The facility is slated to open in the fall of 2012 and will feature the latest automated material-handling technology, designed to process 15,000 packages per hour, with the capacity to dispatch as many as 75 pickup and delivery vans each day.
“Enhancing FedEx Ground’s distribution capability in the Southeast is critical to increasing the size, speed and efficiency of our network,” said Robert E. Holcombe, vice president of the southern region for FedEx Ground. “This new facility is evidence of the Southeast region’s increased presence in the distribution and logistics business and the growing confidence of local shippers that we are their best choice for their ground shipping needs.”
As a key business hub in Georgia, Norcross was selected as the site of the distribution center due in large part to the community’s access to major highways and other logistics benefits, such as its proximity to the FedEx Ground’s customers’ distribution operations and an extensive pipeline of talent for this industry.
“FedEx Ground is a strong representation of companies in Gwinnett that are choosing to remain and expand in the metro Atlanta region,” said Jim Maran, President and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber. “Bringing jobs and capital to the community is a collective goal for Gwinnett and Atlanta, and we appreciate FedEx Ground and its contribution to our community’s vision and goals for the future.”
Norcross Mayor Bucky Johnson added, “The fact that FedEx Ground chose Norcross for its consolidation and expansion is a reflection of strong partnerships from the city and Chamber to the Gwinnett Village CID and the state of Georgia. Norcross welcomes FedEx and we look forward to a future with them as part of our community.”
Georgia’s logistics and transportation network is one of its most formidable assets, supporting all industry in the state. Georgia’s advanced system of logistics enables companies to quickly and seamlessly reach domestic and international markets through interconnected airports, seaports, rail and roads. Companies in the state can reach 80 percent of the U.S. market within a two-day truck haul or a two-hour flight, and the port of Savannah is the fastest-growing container port in the country. This industry is a strategic focus for the state, and is uniquely backed by the Georgia Center of Innovation (COI) for Logistics, which provides the statewide framework, connections and university resources to address the constant challenges of a complex industry. As an industry-focused component of the Department of Economic Development, the COI for Logistics provides Georgia companies with industry expertise, information tools and assistance in creating new products and services to help fuel logistics competitiveness.
About FedEx Ground
FedEx Ground specializes in cost-effective, small-package ground shipping, offering dependable business-to-business delivery or convenient residential service. With a network of more than 500 distribution hubs and local pickup-and-delivery terminals, FedEx Ground has a workforce of more than 70,000 employees and independent contractors and 20,000 motorized vehicles delivering over 3.6 million packages daily throughout the United States and Canada. The company reported annual revenue of $7.4 billion in fiscal year 2010.
