2024-03-31 03:42:49
DUNN COUNTY, N.D. — Amazon is set to expand its operations with a new distribution center in the Five Diamonds Industrial Park near the Dunn and Stark county line in western North Dakota. The e-commerce giant will lease a warehouse on the site and commence operations in the fall.
Packages will be delivered on trucks to the warehouse, then sorted and dispatched on smaller vans to households within a 50-mile radius, Dunn County Commissioner Cody Buehner explained.
Despite limited information on why Amazon chose this specific location, Buehner confirmed the center would serve both Dunn and Stark counties. He also highlighted the expected economic impact on the region.
“It’s going to be great, bringing in more workforce and providing another service to the taxpayers,” he said.
JoAnn Marsh, another Dunn County commissioner, said Amazon applied for a conditional use permit, a necessity for its operational blueprint in the industrial zone. Initially, the center aims to employ around 20 part-time and a few full-time workers, with the potential for more in the future.
The planning and zoning process took place over several months, with final approval from the board on Feb. 20.
Five Diamond Fund Managers currently has three large scale developments in southwestern North Dakota. The 140 acre Five Diamond Industrial Park (FDIP) will host the new Amazon Distrubution Center.
Photo courtesy of Five Diamond Fund Managers
The distribution center is poised to create job opportunities and enhance local services. However, the center’s launch also raises questions about its impact on existing delivery networks, particularly the USPS, which has
faced criticism for delivery prioritization
and operational inefficiencies.
Packages move along a conveyor belt at the Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center.
Bloomberg photo by Bess Adler.
Buehner and Marsh touched on the expected benefits of Amazon’s investment, emphasizing job growth and service expansion. Yet regional experiences — like those in Dickinson and Bemidji, where USPS workers decry overwork and pressure to prioritize Amazon parcels — paint a complex picture of logistics and service delivery.
Based on national data on Amazon’s economic footprint, the e-commerce giant’s investment in local communities typically creates jobs, increases economic activity, and supports local businesses.
Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the U.S., with nearly 1 million employees. Almost half of the new hires in the company’s logistics jobs were previously unemployed. Additionally, about 40% of the jobs Amazon has created in the past five years are in
.
Manny is a journalist with a diverse background in communications. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, he earned his degree in the DFW area before venturing to New York City. There he worked as an ethnic media reporter, covering local issues and immigration news. A long history of dedication to sensitive reporting, Manny’s journalistic journey has led him to Dickinson where he takes on the role of a hard news reporter.
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