Georgia to get 800 new Amazon jobs

♦ The company plans to open a new warehouse in Columbia County near Augusta.

ATLANTA — While many Georgia businesses have struggled during the weeks since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Amazon is expanding its already robust presence in the state.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant announced Monday plans for a new fulfillment center in Columbia County that will create 800 full-time jobs.

Workers at the new facility along Interstate 20 in Appling will use innovative robotics technology to pack and ship smaller customer orders, including books, toys and small household goods.

Amazon already has more than 3,500 employees in Georgia working at facilities in Jefferson, Braselton, Lithia Springs, East Point, Kennesaw, Macon and Union City, representing an investment of $3.6 billion. The company plans to add another 1,000 at a new fulfillment center in Stone Mountain and 500 at the Newnan fulfillment center announced in January.

“We are proud to continue our investment in Georgia with great jobs and a new, state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Columbia County to serve our customers across the state,” said Robert Packett, regional director of Amazon operations. “The Peach State and its incredible workforce have been vital to our ability to provide great selection, competitive prices and the Prime services we know our customers love.”

Pat Wilson, commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development, welcomed the additional investment and job growth Amazon will bring to Georgia.

“Especially now, during COVID-19, we are proud of our team’s hard work to continuously meet the needs of world-renowned companies like Amazon,” he said. “We are also grateful for our economic development partners in Columbia County and the region, who again have shown their strong commitment throughout this project.”

Hank Evans, the economic development department’s assistant director, represented the agency’s Global Commerce Division in landing the project, in partnership with Georgia EMC and the Development Authority of Columbia County.