ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Editors note: The video posted above first aired in Nov. of 2020.
Amazon plans to open a distribution center in St. Cloud this year, potentially creating hundreds of new jobs for the central Minnesota community.
St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis told a crowd while delivering his annual State of the City address Tuesday that Amazon has purchased a vacant building on Heatherwood Road near Interstate 94, has completed permits for the new fulfillment center and expects to be hiring later this year.
"Look for some more exciting news later this year on that," he said.
Kleis says he doesn’t know exactly how many jobs will be available, but that Amazon has told the city it will be in the hundreds.
Amazon has been raising its presence in Minnesota over the past five years. The online shopping giant opened a nearly 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Shakopee in 2016, and is also working on a similar facility in Lakeville.
But not everything has been rosy for Amazon in Minnesota: Workers at the Shakopee distribution center have staged walkouts and mini-strikes over the past few years, alleging discrimination and inhumane working conditions, among other things.