Forney Checks Many Boxes for Amazon Fulfillment Center

FORNEY, TX—Amazon.com Inc. recently announced plans to open its first fulfillment center at 1475 Akron Way with a delivery station located at 1101 South Gateway Blvd. The new fulfillment center, which is anticipated to launch in 2021, will create more than 500 new full-time jobs.

“We are grateful for the strong support we’ve received from local and state leaders as we broaden our footprint around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “We look forward to creating over 500 jobs for the local Forney community, with industry leading pay and comprehensive benefits starting on day one.”

Forney was chosen for a number of reasons, says Amazon spokesperson Daniel Martin.

“There are a variety of factors that we take into account when deciding to launch a new building such as customer demand, a dedicated workforce and great local support–and we’ve found each of those in Forney,” Martin tells GlobeSt.com.

In the 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center, Amazon associates will pick, pack and ship bulky or larger-sized customer items such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment or rugs.

“Bringing a transcendent company such as Amazon to Forney is a huge step for our community,” said Mary Penn, mayor of Forney. “One of my biggest priorities has been to create more jobs and bring economic opportunity to our citizens. Now more than ever, this is a crucial time for economic growth and I feel confident Amazon will bring that to the city of Forney.”

Amazon is also planning a new 200,000-square-foot delivery station in Forney, which is anticipated to launch later in 2020. Delivery stations power the last mile of Amazon’s order fulfillment process. Packages are transported to delivery stations from Amazon fulfillment and sortation centers, and then loaded into vehicles for delivery to customers. The delivery station will create more than 100 full- and part-time jobs, in addition to offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to build small businesses delivering Amazon packages, and independent contractors the flexibility to be their own bosses by delivering for Amazon Flex that allows individual schedules.

“This announcement shows that Forney offers a great climate and resources for businesses to thrive,” said Derald Cooper, Forney city councilmember. “Our council believes it’s critically important to bring more opportunities to Forney so residents have the opportunity to work where they live. This is a great step forward and I am excited to see how Amazon positively impacts our community.”

On top of Amazon’s minimum starting wage from $15, the company offers full-time employees with comprehensive benefits including full medical, vision and dental insurance as well as a 401(k) with 50% match. The company also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave, and benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents flexibility with growing families.

Amazon has also pledged to invest more than $700 million to provide upskilling training for 100,000 US employees for in-demand jobs. Programs will help Amazonians from all backgrounds to access training for moving into highly skilled roles across the company’s corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillment centers, retail stores and transportation network, or pursue career paths outside of Amazon.

“Creating new opportunities for members of this community is one of my biggest passions and I’m confident Amazon will offer that. It’s important to pursue great companies like Amazon due to their ability to offer good pay, benefits and other excellent resources to its employees,” said Kevin Moon, Forney city councilmember. “This will prove to industry leaders that Forney is a great place to operate a business. The benefits of welcoming Amazon to our city will be felt community-wide and I’m looking forward to seeing what other amazing opportunities it will bring.”

Amazon occupies more than 193 million square feet of warehouse space in North America, according to its latest annual report.