Amazon ordering up to 1,000 jobs for West Michigan

Amazon ordering up to 1,000 jobs for West Michigan

One of Amazon's core "principles" is a "commitment to operational excellence." Courtesy Amazon

Amazon is planning to invest $150 million in a new fulfillment center in the area — and create loads of full-time jobs in the process.

Amazon.com Services, Inc. plans to open an 855,000-square-foot sortation and fulfillment center in Gaines Township, at 4500 68th St. SE, on a 100-acre site owned by Grand Rapids-based Steelcase, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, or MEDC, today.

Seattle-based Amazon will lease the newly constructed, build-to-suit fulfillment center built by a third-party developer, Atlanta-based Seefried Industrial Properties.

MEDC said the West Michigan site was selected over competing sites in the Midwest.

Timeline details will be released later.

MEDC's announcement today publicly reveals that Amazon is the company behind the mysterious “Project Rapids” industrial project approved last week by the Gaines Township Board of Trustees. The Business Journal outlined the project’s details earlier this month.

When completed, the center will have up to 1,000 full-time jobs with benefits and offer employees a 95-percent reimbursement on the cost of college tuition.

Information on Amazon jobs is available online.

“A project of this size will likely attract more growth and capital, and consequently, there will be a range of business investment,” said Jeff Mason, CEO of MEDC, which administers state business attraction and job-creation programs and conducts due diligence on behalf of the Michigan Strategic Fund.

The Michigan Strategic Fund approved today a $4-million Michigan Business Performance program grant to support the project.

Gaines Township is providing a 50-percent property tax abatement in support of the project.

“This critical approval from the MEDC brings this project one step closer to reality,” said Birgit Klohs, president and CEO, The Right Place, an economic development agency based in Grand Rapids.

The investment comes after the internet-based retailer established three fulfillment centers in metro Detroit during the last 18 months: Livonia, Romulus and Shelby Township.

With the Gaines Township project, Amazon’s total private investment in Michigan will stand at $420 million, with the commitment to create 4,925 jobs, according to MEDC.