Amazon has announced it will build a multimillion-dollar distribution center in Surry County.
The plan is to build what is called a “last-mile” facility where it will serve customers within a 45-minute drive. They’re generally the final stop in the distribution chain before the delivery reaches the consumer.
Blake Moyer, president and CEO of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership, says Amazon’s investment will likely top $20 million. He says the county landed the project without financial incentives.
"This project was kind of just happening because of where we were at," he says. "Amazon needed to be here to serve the immediate area, and so we did not have to incentivize the project at all.”
Moyer says the center will employ about 70 people with a mix of full-time company employees and part-time or gig delivery drivers. The center is expected to open in the third quarter of this year.
The location west of Mount Airy has easy access to interstates 77 and 74.
Surry is one of four North Carolina locations recently planned for Amazon’s “last-mile” distribution centers. The others are Jacksonville, Southern Pines and Tarboro.