Amazon Inc. opened its fulfillment center in Bondurant on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Amazon 

Amazon Inc.’s first Iowa fulfillment center opened Sunday in Bondurant, the behemoth online retailer announced.

“We are thrilled to officially open our doors to the first fulfillment center in Iowa,” Brent Hagan, site leader at the fulfillment center, said in a news release.

Construction of the 640,000-square-foot facility began in fall 2019 at 500 32nd St. S.W. in Bondurant. For months, Amazon officials refused to acknowledge the company was behind Project Bluejay, the code name assigned the project. It wasn’t until Feb. 6, nearly two months after a construction permit was issued for the project, that the Seattle-based company confirmed it was building the center.

The $250 million project includes a five-story warehouse/distribution/fulfillment center and more than 2,000 parking spaces. Construction of the center originally was projected to be done in July 2021 but the Amazon fast-tracked construction with crews often working until 10 p.m.

To celebrate the facility’s opening, Amazon plans to donate $15,000 to the Bondurant school district, the company said in its news release. The money will be used to provide technology that supports teaching and learning – including Swivl cameras, microphones, document cameras, and web subscriptions. The money will also be used to pay for a staff appreciation lunch and support the district’s Pack a Backpack program, which provides backpacks of school supplies to students while attending school from home during COVID-19. Amazon is also donating $5,000 to the Food Bank of Iowa.

Amazon has reaped financial benefits from the pandemic as consumers increased their use of online shopping to avoid exposure to COVID-19.

Amazon, in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, reported $6.3 billion in quarterly profits, up 200% year-over-year. The company’s revenue was up 37% to $96.1 billion compared to revenue of $70 billion during the same period in 2019. Analysts attributed the company’s increased profitability to increased consumer demand due to COVID-19.

The new Bondurant facility employs more than 1,000 full-time associates who pick, pack and ship small items to customers including books, electronics and toys. The company said it is still hiring positions at the facility.

Amazon is also building a sortation center in Bondurant on 48 acres west of Northeast Hubbell Avenue. The $55 million project is expected to be completed later in 2020. 

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