Dec. 18, 2020

Amazon.com Inc.. has confirmed it will create 1,000 full-time jobs with its new Sioux Falls fulfillment center, scheduled to launch in 2022.

In a statement, the company said employees “will work alongside Amazon robotics to pick, pack and ship small items to customers such as books, electronics and toys.”

Hiring won’t take place until 2022, a company spokesperson confirmed.

Amazon called it a 640,000-square-foot fulfillment center, which is the size of the main level, according to plans submitted to the city. They show the total finished space on the five stories inside equals nearly 3 million square feet, making it by far the largest building in Sioux Falls and reaching 100 feet into the air.

“We are thrilled to be opening our first fulfillment center in the great state of South Dakota and bringing 1,000 full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and benefits to Sioux Falls,” Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, said in a statement.

“Amazon leverages its scale for good and makes investments to support communities. We appreciate the strong support from local and state leaders throughout the process, and we look forward to supporting the South Dakota community with great delivery options.”

Amazon offers a minimum $15 per hour wage along with comprehensive benefits for full-time employees, including full medical, vision and dental insurance as well as a 401(k) with 50 percent match starting on day one.

The company also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave and unique benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents flexibility to support their families.

Employees can access programs such as Career Choice, where it will pay up to 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. Since the program’s launch, more than 25,000 employees worldwide have pursued degrees in fields such as game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology.

Construction has started on the 80-acre site.

The city recently issued a foundation permit for $6.5 million to Amazon’s general contractor for the project, Minnesota-based Ryan Cos. It’s possible the permit for the remainder of the project will be issued yet this year. At an estimated $200 million, that would push the city to a new annual record for building activity.

“It is both an honor and a privilege to welcome Amazon to the Sioux Falls business community. Our commitment to business growth in the region is apparent, and Amazon will be a vital player in our continued efforts to build the economy of Sioux Falls and leverage the attractive power of Foundation Park,” Todd Ernst, board chair for Sioux Falls Development Foundation, said in a statement.

From 2010-19, Amazon said it has invested more than $1 million in South Dakota, including infrastructure and compensation to employees in the state, adding that its investments in the state also contributed more than $469,000 into the state’s GDP over that same time period.

Plans show Amazon building massive five-story project at Foundation Park