Construction of the Amazon distribution facility in Slidell remains “on track” to begin sometime this year, but company officials remain quiet on exactly when.
Without a completed interior, the company can’t say when hiring will begin and when it plans for the facility to begin operations, said Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesperson.
“Everything here remains on track – internal construction is slated to start later this year,” Kelly said in an email.
“General hiring does not start until 30 to 60 days before a facility begins operating,” he added.
The exterior of the $40 million, 140,000-square-foot facility on Town Center Parkway near Old Spanish Trail has been completed for some time. But Amazon officials have said it still must be outfitted with racks, conveyors and other equipment.
Amazon announced the Slidell center in 2021, with an initial opening date targeted for 2022. The opening has been pushed back several times, but St. Tammany economic development officials remain optimistic of an opening sometime in the not-so-distant future.
Slidell officials have said previously that 250-400 people would be hired at the center.Â
St. Tammany officials have said they hope once Amazon’s Baton Rouge site opens the company will turn its attention to Slidell.
Amazon opened a $200 million, 3.4-million-square-foot facility at the former Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge last month after more than three years of construction.
More than 500 people have been hired for that facility, and the company plans to at least double that number.
The Baton Rouge site is the online retail giant’s second “fulfillment center” in Louisiana. A center in Carencro opened in 2021. Another, in Shreveport, is set to open in August.