Expert says Collier County Amazon facility will bring local jobs, benefits to shoppers

Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
This building at the corner of Davis Boulevard and Collier Boulevard in Collier County is the expected new location for an approved Amazon distribution center. Credit: WINK News.

A major construction project is in the works to bring an Amazon distribution center to Southwest Florida.

A construction crew spent Thursday at the planned Amazon facility at the corner of Davis Boulevard and Collier Boulevard in Collier County.

An expert we spoke to says, not only will this location benefit Southwest Florida shoppers, it will bring more jobs to the area.

A building already sits at the county-approved location for Amazon, and it could soon become a new distribution center for the multinational company.

Shelton Weeks, the FGCU chair of Lutgert College of Business, says the new Amazon location would prove beneficial for Collier County.

“When you think about location, you really want to find one that has easy access to the interstate as well as major thoroughfares,” Weeks said. “When you look at the location they selected here, this should serve them very well and make their operation as efficient as possible.”

The center would serve as what’s called a last mile logistics facility. Consumer goods will be shipped to the property then sorted and organized and stocked by employees for sale.

Last year, the delivery giant opened a location near Treeline Boulevard in Lee County, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.

Weeks expects something similar to happen in Collier County.

“When you look at where we are in terms of the economic situation right now,” Week said. “Anything that’s going to bring jobs to the area, it’s going to be step in the right direction.”

The county says plans are under review to modify the building to accommodate truck bays. There is no confirmation when the project will be completed.

“It’s giving them greater ability to service customers in this region to be able to fulfill those orders more quickly and more efficiently,” Week said.

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