Amazon Unveils Massive Romeoville Facility, One of Nine to Open in Illinois This Year
Amazon is expanding its footprint in the Chicago suburbs, making its biggest mark in Romeoville. A new fulfillment center in Romeoville officially opened in September and already has 1,000 workers on-site that fulfill orders for Midwest customers, but its official grand opening was in early June.
The space is 750,000 square feet and workers handle tens of thousands of orders each day. It’s one of nine new Amazon centers in the state of Illinois that, by the end of 2018, are expected to employ more than 8,000 workers. The online superstore has two facilities currently operating in Joliet and an additional two in St. Louis suburb of Edwardsville. Monee, Waukegan, and Aurora are expected to see facilities open by the end of 2017.
Governor Bruce Rauner attended the grand opening of the warehouse, having played a role in the recruitment of the company to the state. While the company did not accept state tax incentives for opening the Romeoville location, it did accept deals for its other Illinois-based facilities.
In order to get those incentives, however, the company must stay in line with job expectations. According to the Daily Herald, Amazon received $18 million in incentives and promised 1,500 jobs at one Joliet facility, $24 million for 2,000 jobs at its second Joliet facility, $30 million for 2,500 jobs in Monee, and $13 million for 1,200 jobs in Aurora.
In total, Amazon could get an estimated $86 million if it meets and retains its job requirements set in place by the state.