The rumors have finally been confirmed: Hundreds of new jobs are coming to the town of Republic as Amazon builds a new distribution center in the city.
The city released details in a news release late Thursday morning:
REPUBLIC, Mo. — A big, bright new chapter for our community begins with Amazon.com, Inc. announcing it’s choosing to build a new fulfillment center here. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is constructing the 1.3 million-square-foot distribution and warehouse facility in the city’s Garton Business Park.
“It is exciting to welcome Amazon into the growing Republic family! We are honored the company has chosen our community to invest in,” stated David Cameron, City Administrator. “This will have a profound and positive impact on the community and southwest Missouri.”
When it opens in 2021, the new facility on Route MM at Sawyer Road will create hundreds of new jobs. It’ll become the biggest employer in Republic and one of the largest retail-warehousing employers in southwest Missouri. Throughout the building phase, work will be provided for hundreds of construction workers. Furthermore, the new facility is expected to spur adjacent industrial and retail growth, creating even more jobs for the local economy.
Acting Mayor Matt Russell stated, “We are excited to have Amazon coming to Republic. This business addition will have a huge impact on the City of Republic, the region, and Missouri. We are proud to have been selected as a partner with Amazon. Given the city employees’ hard work and a constant drive to be “open for business,” this sort of growth was only a matter of time in happening.”
Upgrades to the community’s transportation infrastructure are needed to handle an expected increase in vehicle traffic. The City of Republic greatly appreciates the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the office of Missouri Governor Mike Parson, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Missouri Department of Economic Development, for their assistance in working with us to facilitate discussions solutions to these transportation needs.
The announcement by Amazon is just the latest chapter in the Republic’s exciting story of explosive growth. Since 2015, the community has welcomed several new businesses to the Garton Business Park and Brookline Business Park, both located along the Route MM corridor. These include McLane Company, Heart of America Beverage, Watson Metal Masters, Red Monkey Foods, Ashley Furniture, Hermann Lumber, Mercy-ROI, Convoy of Hope, and Lew’s-Strike King. Through these projects, hundreds of new full-time jobs have been created, while thousands of square feet of warehousing, distribution, and manufacturing space have been added. This growth is showing no signs of slowing down. In addition to the Amazon project, hundreds more acres worth of development projects are under construction or are in the works.
Several factors have helped fuel Republic’s recent business growth, including lower-than-average costs of doing business and living.
Another attractive feature is the town’s prime location on major highways; Interstate 44, U.S. 60, and Route 360 (future Interstate 244) provide quick and convenient transportation. An additional feature is the availability of a qualified and ready workforce. Finally, the city has worked to forge partnerships with developers and has streamlined the approval process. For instance, the city’s building permit review process’s average time has been reduced to just 13 days. These efficiencies demonstrate the city’s mission of being “aggressively progressive through processes, relationships, and trust.”
