Amazon Announces Two More Illinois Fulfillment Centers, 1,000 Jobs

Amazon.com announced plans June 2 to open two fulfillment centers in Edwardsville, Illinois, and create more than 1,000 full-time jobs between the facilities when they open.

Edwardsville is about 30 miles northeast of St. Louis. Each fulfillment center will span more than 700,000 square feet, where employees will pick, pack and ship items for customers. One of the buildings will specialize in handling larger items such as big-screen televisions, sports equipment or kayaks. The other building will handle smaller items, including books, toys and electronics.

"Illinois has been a great place to do business for Amazon," said Akash Chauhan, Amazon's vice president of North American operations. "The elected officials throughout the city and state have been very supportive of Amazon, and we thank them for helping make this possible. We're excited to soon call Edwardsville home and become an active member of this vibrant community."

Gov. Bruce Rauner called Amazon's investment "a commitment to the future of our state."

"Amazon brings more than a thousand great paying jobs to Madison County and strengthens Illinois' position as a national hub for distribution and logistics," Rauner said in a statement. "We are excited Amazon has again chosen our state and continues to be a growing partner in economic development in the Land of Lincoln. This growth represents the type of results possible when state economic development is focused on a long-term strategy."

Amazon says it provides competitive pay and benefits, and a career program that helps pay for tuition.

Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton said "hundreds" of construction workers would be employed in building the centers.

The company also recently announced plans for a new fulfillment center in Joliet and the creation of 2,000 full-time jobs. Amazon has an existing fulfillment center in Joliet , where it currently employs 1,500 full-time employees.