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Governor Phil Bredesen recently joined Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber in announcing Amazon.com, Inc. has finalized its commitment to establish two fulfillment centers in Tennessee, one at the Enterprise South Industrial Park in Chattanooga and the other along State Route 308 in neighboring Bradley County. Amazon.com.dedc, LLC plans to invest a combined total of up to $139 million to construct the two new facilities, with up to 1,400 jobs expected to be created in the next three years, in addition to hundreds of additional seasonal jobs during peak season. The new fulfillment centers are expected to be operational before the 2011 holiday season.
“I’m pleased our discussions with Amazon.com have concluded with a positive result,” said Governor Bredesen. “This announcement means good job opportunities for Tennesseans with a great company and a strong endorsement of Tennessee’s business climate.”
“Amazon.com’s announcement is another example of the effectiveness of Governor Bredesen’s Jobs Cabinet and the strength of our partnerships with the local communities,” said Commissioner Kisber. “This is a significant investment by a highly respected global brand and we’re pleased to have Amazon.com in Tennessee.”
"We're excited to be opening two new facilities in Tennessee to allow us to serve customers more quickly and efficiently," said Dave Clark, vice-president, North America Operations, Amazon.com. “We’re thankful for the continuing cooperation of Governor Bredesen, Governor-elect Haslam, and the Department of Economic and Community Development, as well as the county and local officials.”
“We’re glad to formally and officially welcome Amazon.com to Hamilton County,” said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, who will leave elected office in January to serve as Governor-elect Bill Haslem’s Deputy Governor and Chief of Staff. “I know many people think this has been a done deal for weeks, but I want to express my appreciation to the County Commission and City Council for their support in finalizing this investment. I’m proud of what we’ve done together.”
“Amazon.com’s investment is good for the people of our region not only because it represents new jobs, but also because it is a major investment by a world-class company that stretches across county lines,” said Chattanooga City Mayor Ron Littlefield. “Amazon.com is helping us keep our local economy diverse while demonstrating our ability to work together as a region.”
"The Chamber's successful Chattanooga Can Do program continues to attract the attention of internationally recognized companies," said Trevor Hamilton, vice president of economic development for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. "Seamless cooperation among our public and private partners drives our ability to win job creation projects. In particular, I think it's important to recognize Volkswagen for coming to the table and working with us to make this project a win for Chattanooga, a win forAmazon.com, and a win for Volkswagen. This is another great example of our Chattanooga CAN DO community spirit."
"I’m pleased Amazon.com has chosen Bradley County for one of two distribution centers in this area,” said Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis. “Our workforce, good schools, and quality of life combine to make Bradley County an excellent choice for the world’s largest internet retailer and this announcement is a good example of how counties and chambers of commerce can work together in a regional partnership.”
“We’re happy Amazon.com has finalized its decision to locate in our region,” said Ross Tarver, chairman, Bradley/Cleveland Industrial Development Board. “The jobs created by Amazon will be another major boost to the diversity of our local and regional economy,” Tarver also thanked Governor Bredesen, Commissioner Kisber and Doug Berry, vice president, economic development for the Cleveland / Bradley Chamber of Commerce for their work on the project.
Statements of thanks were also issued by Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland and Charleston Mayor Walter Goode to the Bradley County Commission and state representatives Kevin Brooks, Eric Watson and State Senator Dewayne Bunch.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to create higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go towww.tn.gov/ecd or www.investtennessee.org.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection.Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle, Kindle 3G and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle 3G and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.
