Amazon Celebrates Grand Opening

Amazon celebrated the official opening of its new, state-of-the-art inbound cross dock with state and local elected officials, and community partners in Smithfield, North Carolina. The 620,000-square-foot facility is Amazon’s second inbound cross dock in North Carolina and an addition to the 12 fulfillment and sortation centers in the Tar Heel State. Inside of the Smithfield inbound cross dock, more than 1,000 employees will operate and work with innovative technology within the facility.

For the grand opening, General Manager of Amazon’s Facility in Smithfield Eric Arnold led a special, behind-the-scenes tour for attendees. Arnold explained how employees play an integral role in efficiently and safely delivering orders for Amazon customers. Amazon’s inbound cross docks serves as a reception for inventory, predominantly from small and medium-sized selling partners. These sites receive and consolidate inventory into bulk shipments before it is transported to various fulfillment centers nearby that fulfill and ship customer orders.

“At Amazon, we are deeply committed to investing in our employees’ long-term success, fostering community engagement, and driving economic development,” said General Manager of Amazon’s Facility in Smithfield Eric Arnold. “I am very proud to share that this facility will generate more than 1,000 new jobs for the greater Raleigh community. Our valued Amazonians in North Carolina enjoy competitive pay, comprehensive benefits packages, and a supportive work environment, which includes health, vision, and dental insurance from day one, a 401(k) with a 50 percent company match, generous paid leave, and free mental health resources through our Resources for Living program.”

“North Carolina’s diverse and well-trained manufacturing workforce makes it an ideal location for companies like Amazon to expand, and we are grateful for their investment in our state,” said Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper. “This new facility will bring more than 1,000 jobs to the Smithfield area and will provide a significant boost to our state’s economy.”
 
“We are absolutely thrilled to see this facility come to fruition after years of hard work by everyone involved,” said Smithfield Mayor Andy Moore. “From day one, Amazon has been a great partner, and we look forward to building that relationship for decades to come.”

"This milestone marks a significant moment for Smithfield and Johnston County, as it brings with it a wave of accessible job opportunities, strengthens our local tax base, and diversifies our economy," said Johnston County Commission Chairman Butch Lawter. "The opening of this facility is a testament to the power of collaboration and hard work between a dedicated team of public and private leaders."

Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $9.2 billion in North Carolina, including infrastructure and compensation to employees, and has created more than 24,000 full- and part-time jobs here. These investments support an additional 27,100 indirect jobs across the state, in fields like construction and professional services, and have contributed more than $9 billion to the North Carolina GDP, thanks to Amazon investments.

One of Amazon’s newer Leadership Principles is Strive to Be Earth’s Best Employer, and one of the ways we do that is through our Upskilling 2025 pledge – a $1.2 billion commitment to provide skills training and education to 300,000 U.S. employees by 2025. Amazon’s Career Choice program offers eligible Amazon employees access to prepaid education and skills trainings opportunities in in-demand fields. The program provides the opportunity to earn high school diplomas or GEDs; take English proficiency classes; or earn industry certifications aligned to in demand jobs or earn associate’s or bachelor’s degrees at any one of our partner schools. Globally, Amazon has had more than 150,000 participants in the program, and here in North Carolina, there have been over 4,000 participants in Career Choice since the program launched 10 years ago, with more than 2,000 participants just last year alone. During today’s ribbon cutting celebration, Amazon announced that Johnston Community College has joined as our newest Career Choice Partner.

“Amazon is committed to empowering employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere,” said Sam Blatt, Amazon Economic Development Manager. “We’ve been working closely with Johnston Community College to create an active two-way partnership to advance educational opportunities for our employees, while promoting economic mobility in the community.”