Amazon Opens First New Fulfillment Center In Texas Since Coronavirus Outbreak

Amazon opened its first new fulfillment site in Texas since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and launched a hiring spree for 1,500 full-time employees.

The e-commerce giant intends to fill the slots for the fulfillment center, known as DAL3, within the next eight weeks. Staff members hired will handle inventory and customer shipments, among other fulfillment needs.  

DAL3 is on 100 acres in Oak Cliff, outside of Dallas. Developed by Hillwood Properties, the $100M project is 855K SF and received about $2M in incentives from the city of Dallas, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The opening announcement from Amazon comes as Texas is witnessing the slow reopening of businesses statewide. With thousands of restaurants and retailers laying off employees, the new positions will be welcome in the DFW area. 

Amazon is still handling a large part of the hiring process online, but the retailer intends to host two weeks of hiring at the NYLO Hotel in Las Colinas before moving the interview process to DAL3, at 1301 Chalk Hill Road in Dallas.

Attendees are advised not to attend interviews if they are sick, exhibit symptoms of illness, have traveled to another country or live with someone who is under quarantine or who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

“We are doing everything we can to keep our employees as safe as possible as we prepare for the launch,” Amazon wrote in a statement. “In fact, across our operations we’re investing over $800M in the first half of this year on safety measures like temperature checks, masks, enhanced cleaning, gloves, sanitation stations and on-site testing, to name a few.”

Amazon employees around the country have staged protests and walkouts in the months since the pandemic began, alleging the company did not do enough to prevent its workers from getting the virus. Though employees at multiple warehouses have contracted COVID-19, Amazon has denied claims it is operating unsafely.