SUFFOLK, Va. (AP) - Amazon will build two new facilities in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region to help ship books, electronics and various other products to customers in the region, the company announced Tuesday.
The online retail behemoth said it will create a total of 1,500 new jobs at two facilities in the cities of Chesapeake and Suffolk. Workers will make at least $15 an hour plus benefits.
Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said the operations are unconnected to the company’s decision in 2018 to build its second headquarters in northern Virginia, which was an economic coup for the state.
City and state officials, including Gov. Ralph Northam, touted the news at a press conference in Suffolk. They said Amazon already employs 10,000 people across Virginia and invested more than $34 billion in the state between 2010 and 2018.
The new facilities in Hampton Roads will be located just a few miles from each other and close to the Port of Virginia.
The Chesapeake operation will break down bulk shipments of products such as diapers and pet food into smaller orders. The Suffolk fulfillment center will ship customer orders that include books, toys and smaller electronics.
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