Governor John Bell Edwards and Amazon announced the company’s latest robotics fulfillment center in Louisiana on Wednesday.
According to Governor Edwards, the center will offer over 1,000 full-time jobs and $200 million in capital investments coming to Baton Rouge.
“Louisiana has a long and storied history as a leading state for the shipping and transport of goods,” said Gov. Edwards. “I am proud to welcome this new investment to Louisiana’s Capital Region, and I thank Amazon for its continued investment in our great state – the third such investment in seven months. The new jobs and opportunities created by this project will be a tremendous value to Baton Rouge and the entire state.”
The Governor's office says that Baton Rouge was chosen as the location for Amazon because it will help them to secure their goal of fast delivery to customers in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast.The center will include contemporary robotics technology, inventory and shipping operations in a multi-level building with an 820,000-square-foot foundation.
“From the local jobs we bring, to the local people we employ, train and upskill—our business is made up of people from the communities like Baton Rouge,” said Bri Tye, Regional Director of Operations at Amazon. “We’re excited to be growing our operations in the capital city of Louisiana and want to thank the local community and all of the state and local leaders for their support in making this project possible.”
The center is tied with the recently announced robotics fulfillment center in Shreveport as the two largest of the eight Amazon facilities operating, announced or under construction in Louisiana.
At the new facility, Amazon employees will pick, pack and ship smaller customer orders, such as books, toys, electronics and other household items alongside the latest in robotics technology.
Officials say the development will generate 800 construction jobs, and Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 1,139 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 2,100 permanent new jobs in Louisiana’s Capital Region.
“This is the one we’ve been waiting for,” said president and CEO Adam Knapp of Baton Rouge Area Chamber. “Amazon’s project is transformational, both for creating a thousand jobs and serving as a model of intentional economic development.”
Plans to open the site are set for December 2022 with construction already underway.
