Amazon is constructing a 1.3 million-square-foot fulfillment center at 18007 E. Garland Ave., just west of Barker Road in Spokane Valley’s northeast industrial area.
Amazon confirmed the building in development was a fulfillment center in mid-February. The facility is expected to be completed in late 2021 and employ approximately 1,000 workers.
Amazon’s first fulfillment center in the Spokane region opened in Airway Heights in June 2020, eventually employing more than 1,500 workers. The facility reportedly cost $181 million to construct and utilizes a significant amount of robotic technology. The Airway Heights fulfillment center focuses on shipping smaller items – ones that fit into bins the size of a microwave. The second fulfillment center in Spokane Valley will reportedly fulfill orders for larger items such as bulk cleaning supplies, paper goods, patio furniture, pet food and outdoor sports equipment. As the center nears completion later this year, the company will begin hiring for a wide range of roles involving receiving and storing inventory, shipping orders and supporting network logistics.
Job wages at the fulfillment center will start at $15 an hour and include a comprehensive benefits package. Employees also will have access to Amazon’s Career Choice program, which prepays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields such as nursing and IT programming.
Spokane Valley’s northeast industrial area has welcomed several new companies in the past three years after the city adopted a planned action ordinance that streamlined the development process for acreage in the area. Companies that have recently built or plan to build in the area include Katerra, Spokane Metals, Krueger Sheet Metal and Crown West’s Barker Logistics Center.