San Bernardino Sun News:
Amazon apparently finds San Bernardino quite fulfilling
The company will open its third facility there, bringing with it more than 1,000 full-time jobs.
By NEIL NISPEROS
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEWS GROUP
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Amazon is planning to add more than 1,000 jobs to the region, announcing Wednesday that it will build a second fulfillment center in San Bernardino.
The warehouse will be the company’s seventh in the state, and third Amazon-related operation in San Bernardino, where the company launched its first California fulfillment center in 2012.
“San Bernardino has proven to be an important part of Amazon’s growth in California, and we are proud to continue creating jobs and helping support the economy here in the Inland Empire,” said Akash Chauhan, Amazon’s vice president of North American operations, in a statement.
Amazon counts more than 12,000 full-time employees at its six California fulfillment centers. Its other fulfillment centers in the state are in Tracy, Patterson, Moreno Valley, Redlands and Rialto. Amazon also has a sorting facility in San Bernardino.
Amazon employees at the new 1.1 million-square-foot San Bernardino facility will pick, pack and ship smaller items, such as books, electronics and toys, similar to the kind of products shipped from the existing San Bernardino fulfillment center. The Redlands site handles larger items, such as appliances.
Jay Prag, professor of economics and finance at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, said Wednesday the expansion of fulfillment centers by Amazon in the region is consistent with the growing popularity of online shopping over several years.
“From personal observation, I was in a major shopping mall yesterday, and it struck me that it was empty,” Prag said. “People aren’t shopping in the traditional brick-andmortar stores unless they have a specialty.”
Prag said the addition of another Amazon center is a win for the Inland Empire economy.
“We will have retail jobs lost and distribution jobs gained, so that will be positive and negative,” Prag said. “I think it’s a net win because we got distribution jobs for the whole country because of our location relative to the ports. There will be more distribution jobs gained.”
Mayor R. Carey Davis of San Bernardino said the city is excited about its continued relationship and is proud to be part of Amazon’s history and future.
“The company continues hosting a robust public tours program, donating needed items and volunteer hours to local charities, and supporting local businesses on a regular basis,” Davis said in a statement.
Full-time employees at Amazon, according to the company, receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including health care, a retirement plan and company stock awards, in addition to maternity and paternity leave benefits.