MORE JOBS COMING TO THE SOUTHLAND
More jobs coming to the Southland
BY TIA CAROL JONES
More than 1,000 jobs are set to come to the Southland with the announcement of Amazon constructing three new fulfillment centers in University Park, Matteson and Markham. The newest fulfillment centers will open in Matteson and Markham.
The Southland is experiencing an economic and workforce boom, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Matteson Amazon Fulfillment Center will be located at 7001 Vollmer Road.
Sheila Chalmers-Currin, president of the Village of Matteson, said Amazon has recognized the Southland is a jewel in itself. “Not only is it going to be here in my village, but in surrounding villages too,” she said. “What it will do is it will bring more than 1,000 new jobs and good paying jobs, that’s extremely important to the Southland.”
Chalmers-Currin said Amazon also has committed to working with the Village of Matteson’s schools and its STEM program.
“That’s always important for generations to come. So, I see that being revitalization to the Southland and this is just a start,” she said. “So many more corporations and companies will want to be where Amazon is and it will also affect the idea of our push. We’ve had several talk[s] with the Governor in regards to a third airport.”
Chalmers-Currin said Amazon’s presence in Illinois means a great deal when it comes to jobs and benefits. She said it means Amazon understands how important the Southland is as a region. She added Amazon offers reimbursement for college and said it is a benefit for people who might want to work before going to college. “Most of the individuals that have been in the village of Matteson have to travel long distances for jobs downtown and [in] other areas. They can have jobs right here in this village itself,” she said. “With everything that has happened with COVID-19, this is a Godsend.”
The Matteson Amazon Fulfillment Center will be a state-of-the-art facility that will utilize Amazon Robotics, which will require people with experience in IT. “I think it will open the doors to a lot of other jobs that will happen right here in Amazon not only in Matteson, but in the Southland, places like Monee that have Amazon, places like University Park and places like Markham,” Chalmers-Currin said. “It is saying to surrounding areas that the Southland is the place to be.”
Chalmers-Currin said the timeline for the fulfillment center completion will be August 2021. Construction has already started on the facility which will be 855,000 sq. ft. Chalmers-Currin said the facility is set to be the largest fulfillment center.
“The Village of Matteson is thrilled to welcome Amazon to our town. As a global leader of the rapidly growing distribution industry, Amazon will now have access to our exceptional regional workforce, a very vibrant business climate and our continuing commitment to attract diverse forms of economic development,” she said. “This particular project is clearly an economic engine that will attract hundreds of jobs to our town.”
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