Amazon aims for faster, better in Chicago

Amazon.com is planning to make its deliveries to Chicago area customers a lot faster and more efficient with the opening of a new distribution center.

The retailer plans to open a nearly 500,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Joliet, Ill. The site, which will create 1,000 full-time jobs when it opens, is the company’s first in the state.

“We are excited to create 1,000 great full-time jobs in Illinois with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on Day One,” said Mike Roth, Amazon’s vice president of North America operations. “We are grateful for the support of local and state leadership in helping to bring Amazon to Illinois and we look forward to being an active member of the community.”

"We are thrilled that Amazon has chosen Joliet as the location for its new Illinois fulfillment center,” said City of Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk. “The company is not only the leader in the e-commerce sector, but it also will create quality jobs for a diverse community throughout Joliet and Will County.”

Amazon employees at the fulfillment center will process smaller items, such as books, electronics and consumer goods.