It's bigger than five football fields and the new FedEx facility on Portage Road can process up to 12,000 packages an hour.
FedEx Ground opened a new facility in Kalamazoo County on May 3.
The new state-of-the-art, 312, 000 square foot facility would create hundreds of new jobs. That size and the number of jobs has community leaders saying this facility is a game changer for Southwest Michigan.
"Jobs are always important to our region especially diverse jobs. We have a lot of manufacturing jobs and there are a lot of openings right now," Jill Bland, Southwest Michigan First's Head of Economic Development, said.
In the past six years, FedEx Ground has added nearly 43 million square feet, the equivalent of 1.5 square miles, to its network, including more than 65 new fully automated facilities.
The new automated facility in Portage is part of the highly flexible FedEx ground network of nearly 690 sortation and distribution operations, including 160 fully automated stations. more than 97 percent of FedEx ground's average daily package volume travels through an automated station each day.
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"We have more jobs than the people to fill them. The city council is interested in workforce housing within our community; it's a big priority for us. We would like people who work in Portage to be able to live in Portage," Patricia Randall, mayor of Portage, said.
FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), is headquartered in Pittsburgh, and is a leader in cost-effective package ground shipping, offering dependable service to businesses and residential customers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Through more than 200,000 employees, 686 sortation and distribution facilities, and 100,000 motorized vehicles operated by nearly 6,000 locally owned small businesses, FedEx Ground transported more than 10 million packages a day in its latest fiscal quarter. The company reported annual revenue of $30.5 billion in fiscal year 2021.
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According to its website, Southwest Michigan First is an organization of privately funded economic development advisors who act as the catalyst for economic success in southwest Michigan. It was founded in 1999 on the principle that "the most powerful force for change is a well-paying job."
The organization works across all industries throughout the seven counties that make up the Southwest Michigan Region. On its website, Southwest Michigan First said, "Our team is passionate about creating jobs and cultivating a strong economy in Southwest Michigan."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is in partnership with Southwest Michigan First. Additional stories can be found on News Channel 3's "First & 42" webpage.
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