Olive Branch associates and leaders gathered behind the iconic Amazon smile on Day One before kicking off operations.
Amazon has officially opened its new fulfillment center in Olive Branch – its second operations facility in the state of Mississippi.
Celebrating the building’s “day one,” Amazon leaders welcomed new team members to the one-million-square-foot building which will ship products to customers across the state and the region. After a morning of training and activities, associates received the first item into the new building: Tri-Pod Deer Feeder.
Employees at the new fulfillment center will work alongside innovative technologies to pick, pack and ship larger customer items such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles, and larger household goods.
“Amazon is proud to open a new fulfillment center in Olive Branch, creating hundreds of new jobs that have competitive pay and benefits starting on day one,” said Logen Thompson, site leader of Amazon’s Olive Branch fulfillment center. “This new building will also allow us to better serve our local customers, along with the thousands of local small businesses that work with Amazon to bring their products to customers across the state and around the world.”
Recently, Amazon spent nearly $5,000 to aid 555 local Desoto County School students with back to school items, including students at Desoto Central Primary, Olive Branch Intermediate, Olive Branch Middle School, Olive Branch High School, and Horn Lake Middle Schools.
On top of Amazon’s $15 minimum wage, the company offers full-time employees industry-leading benefits, which include comprehensive healthcare from day one, 401(k) with 50 percent match, up to 20 weeks paid parental leave and Amazon’s innovative Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields.
Since the program’s launch four years ago, more than 25,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming, and radiology, to name a few.
In addition, Amazon has pledged to invest over $700 million to provide upskilling training for 100,000 U.S. employees for in-demand jobs. Programs will help Amazonians from all backgrounds access training to move 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.
The health and safety of employees is Amazon’s top priority. The new Olive Branch fulfillment center has been equipped with all of Amazon’s latest COVID-19 safety measures and best practices to keep employees safe. Amazon has implemented more than 150 significant process changes to support its teams, including physical distancing, temperature checks, masks, and gloves, to name a few, spending $800 million globally in the first half of 2020.
Click here to learn more about working at an Amazon fulfillment center.
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