Amazon unveils large-scale Nevada expansion, including 2 Reno facilities

RENO, Nev. — Amazon this week announced a significant expansion in the Silver State, highlighted by a massive fulfillment center that broke ground in October in North Las Vegas.

The 855,000-square-foot facility in Southern Nevada will create 1,500 new full-time jobs when it opens sometime in 2021, according to a Wednesday press release from the online retail giant.

It’s one of eight new buildings — four of which have already opened, three others planned for 2021 — expected to create more than 2,000 permanent full- and part-time jobs with a minimum $15 hourly wage as part of Amazon’s expanded investment into the Silver State.

“This is welcome news for the entire state of Nevada,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement. “Amazon continues to make investments to support local communities and has become a lifeline for those in our state who have experienced job loss during the pandemic. We are grateful for Amazon's decision to expand operations across Nevada, creating thousands of career opportunities for our citizens.”’

According to Amazon, the North Las Vegas facility will be the second fulfillment center in the state using robotics to sort, pack and ship smaller products.

The other is Amazon’s 630,000-square-foot distribution warehouse in North Reno, which has operated at 8000 N. Virginia St. since 2015 after relocating there from the company’s original location in Fernley, first opened in 1999.

Aside from the North Las Vegas facility, Amazon announced Wednesday it recently opened two delivery stations for last-mile fulfillment orders in North Las Vegas (September) and Reno (October) and plans to open two more in 2021 in Henderson and Las Vegas.

The Reno delivery station is located at 9740 N. Virginia St. and totals more than 140,000 square feet, Amazon spokesperson Lisa Guinn confirmed in an email with the NNBW.

Panattoni Development Co. oversaw construction on the 145,602-square-foot building, according to a Dec. 9 press release provided on behalf of the Reno-based developer.

The general contractor was Alston Construction, and the building was designed by Architects Orange. Odyssey Engineering was the civil engineer.

“The land was acquired at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the project was constructed during nationwide shutdowns,” Lindy Deller, Development Manager with Panattoni, said in a statemebt. “We were able to work with the City of Reno, NV Energy, TMWA and Washoe County on permitting in order to deliver this essential building in a very tight time frame.”

Meanwhile, a fifth delivery station, a fulfillment center that’s part of Amazon’s “AMXL” network (essentially short for “Amazon Extra Large”), is planned to open in 2021 in Reno.

That site will be located at 1316 Capital Blvd. and will support “fulfillment and delivery of large products, from televisions to couches, powered by drivers employed by Amazon’s delivery service partners or national third-party carriers,” according to the company. A timeline for its opening is unknown.

The two other locations announced Wednesday as part of the company’s 8-building investment are in North Las Vegas: Merch by Amazon, which opened in September; and Print on Demand, which opened in October.

Counting the four new buildings that opened recently, Amazon now operates 11 sites in Nevada that support customer fulfillment and delivery operations, employing more than 10,500 full- and part-time employees across the state.

Other details about the eight buildings, including project costs and the investment potential for each in the years to come, as well as estimated timeframes for when the 2021 buildings will open, were not disclosed.

From 2010-19, Amazon reports it has invested more than $3.8 billion in Nevada, “including infrastructure and compensation to thousands of employees in the state.”

The company also estimates those investments have contributed an additional $3 billion into the Silver State’s economy — which includes an additional 7,600-plus “indirect jobs on top of the company's 10,500 direct hires,” according to the company.

“Amazon is proud to continue investing in the state of Nevada, where we opened our first fulfillment center in Fernley more than 20 years ago,” Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment, said in a statement. “We’re excited to create more than 2,000 new full- and part-time jobs across the state with highly competitive pay, benefits from day-one and training programs for in-demand jobs.”

Wednesday’s news comes on the heels of Amazon’s announcement in late October it plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal jobs in the U.S. and Canada for the holiday season, including more than 1,000 across Nevada.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated Dec. 9 from its original version on Dec. 4 to include additional information about Amazon's new delivery station at 9740 N. Virginia St.