Nov. 8—GRAND FORKS — A “mini” Amazon distribution center appears set to become operational in Grand Forks in the coming weeks.
The local delivery station, located in the former Herald printing press building at 1150 S. 46th St., will be one of Amazon’s “last-mile” distribution centers, often the last stop where customers’ orders are prepared for delivery.
The 1997 building, most recently occupied by LM Wind Power, is owned by Forum Communications Company, which owns the Herald. An FCC representative declined to discuss the lease or the occupant, citing an agreement with the tenant, and multiple local leaders said the Seattle-based internet retailer has played its cards close to its chest as it moved to set up shop in Grand Forks.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the facility will be operational by the end of the year. A job ad posted in late October for an Amazon delivery station warehouse associate listed a start date of Nov. 22. The Herald learned about the development through the job posting.
Amazon appears to have been in the process of refitting the interior of the warehouse space since the spring. City records show a slate of interior improvement permits issued for the building starting with a fit-up permit issued on April 12, and most recently a metal fabrication permit issued three weeks ago.
It will be the first time Amazon has had a physical presence in Grand Forks since it closed its local call center — here since shortly after the flood of 1997 — in 2018. At that time, Amazon moved about 200 employees out of a city-owned space at 1550 S. 48th St. it had occupied since 2016. Those employees were not terminated, and instead were transitioned to remote positions, an Amazon spokesperson
told the Herald
in 2018.
Keith Lund, president of the local Economic Development Corporation, said he’s glad to see Amazon returning to a brick-and-mortar presence in Grand Forks, and that the development will likely mean products are more efficiently distributed throughout the area.
“We’re pleased that they’re investing in the region,” Lund said.
The delivery station, notably, is not the same as an Amazon fulfillment center, the behemoth warehouses Amazon has come to be known for. The nearest Amazon fulfillment center is in Fargo. The more than 1 million-square-foot Fargo warehouse became Amazon’s first fulfillment center in North Dakota in 2021.
Amazon was also constructing a delivery station in Minot and near Dickinson, both expected to open sometime this fall, the Minot Daily News reported in May. According to that report, Amazon’s first investment in the state was a delivery station in West Fargo that opened in 2021.
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