Will Create 2,700 Jobs With $1.49 Billion Investment
In an announcement establishing Kentucky as a global logistics center , Gov. Matt Bevin announced that Amazon, over several years, will build a $1.49 billion shipping hub to serve its fleet of Prime Air planes at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Hebron, creating 2,700 full- and part-time jobs.
Amazon’s Prime Air hub will expand the company’s longstanding presence in Kentucky where it already employs more than 10,000 full-time team members at several fulfillment center locations in Central and Northern Kentucky.
“Amazon’s Prime Air hub promises to revolutionize the fulfillment industry worldwide, and Kentucky is excited to partner with them as they embark on this disruptive, transformative and exciting venture,” said Gov. Bevin. “Kentucky’s ideal location, proven workforce and an already extensive shipping and logistics industry have been the backbone of our relationship with Amazon for nearly 20 years. This new project will pay dividends to both the company and our state, and we are truly grateful for the jobs and economic impact it will bring to the commonwealth.”
The new Prime Air hub will create thousands more induced and indirect jobs. Combined with the hub’s direct jobs, total annual payroll and benefits associated with the project will reach well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Similarly, the project’s economic impact will add hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the state GDP.
With agreements approved today by the Kenton County Airport Board and the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, Amazon will build a state-of-the-art sorting, loading and unloading facility on the airport property.
Airport board members approved a 50-year lease expandable to 900 acres of property. Additionally, CVG will invest $5 million in supporting infrastructure that will benefit the airport as a whole.
Last year, Amazon entered into agreements with two carriers to lease 40 dedicated cargo airplanes to support Prime members with fast, free shipping. Today, 16 of those planes are in service for Amazon customers with more planes rolling out over time. Amazon’s Prime Air hub at CVG will support Amazon’s dedicated fleet of Prime Air cargo planes by loading, unloading and sorting packages.
Dave Clark, Amazon senior vice president of worldwide operations, said Kentucky’s advantages made it stand out. “As we considered places for the long-term home for our air hub operations, Hebron quickly rose to the top of the list with a large, skilled workforce, centralized location with great connectivity to our nearby fulfillment locations, and an excellent quality of living for employees. We feel strongly that with these qualities as a place to do business, our investments will support Amazon and customers well into the future,” Clark said. “We couldn’t be more excited to add 2,000-plus Amazon employees to join the more than 10,000 who work with us today across our robust operations in Kentucky.”
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell commended all those involved. “This is great news for the Northern Kentucky region. I applaud Governor Bevin, Boone County Judge/Executive Moore, and Covington Airport CEO Candace McGraw on their leadership in working with the community, local and state officials to secure this major investment in Kentucky. I appreciate Amazon for its commitment to Kentucky and its continued confidence in our exceptional workforce,” McConnell said.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Kentucky offers all the right elements to attract large-scale shipping investments. “Thanks to our great workforce, central location and transportation infrastructure, Northern Kentucky and nearby Louisville are quickly becoming the logistics hub for North America,” Rep. Massie said. “I want to thank Amazon, Governor Bevin, CVG CEO Candace McGraw and local leaders for working hard to make this a reality in our district.”
Amazon has had a significant presence in Kentucky since 1999. It currently has 11 fulfillment centers in Kentucky that employ more than 10,000 people full-time.
To encourage the investment and job growth, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority at a special meeting today preliminarily approved Amazon for tax incentives up to $40 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows the company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, Amazon can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal 2016, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for nearly 95,000 Kentuckians and 5,000 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
(Source: Governor Matt Bevin news release. Images from file)
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