It’s finally official — Amazon is coming to Akron and bringing about 1,500 full-time jobs with it.
Amazon announced early Monday that construction will soon begin on a 700,000 square-foot distribution facility on the site of the former Rolling Acres Mall.
The project has been the talk of the town since last year when a then-unidentified employer told Akron City Council it would invest $100 million into the old mall property and generate $30 million in payroll.
The facility will be able to draw workers from nearby Kenmore and Summit Lake, two of Akron’s most impoverished neighborhoods, Mayor Dan Horrigan said.
“We took a blighted piece of property and turned it into a significant investment for the community, so it’s going to have a huge impact for us,” he said. “We’re able to connect underserved communities to acceptable employment and it’s bringing jobs to where people live.”
Jobs will range from entry to management level and the company offers a comprehensive benefit package including tuition reimbursement for fields that can be unrelated to the warehouse jobs, like nursing and graphic design, the company said.
Horrigan said the facility is bringing more than jobs to Akron.
“Probably one of the largest job creating projects we’ve undertaken in a generation. This is $15 an hour, medical, vision, dental, parental leave,” he said. “You know, there’s a 95% tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, so it’s not a job where you just show up and work — it’s an investment in the community and the workers.”
Amazon also announced Monday it’s building a second, similar distribution warehouse near Toledo.
Hiring for the Akron site is expected to begin soon and the company said it will post the job openings here.
