Mega Site sees action despite Amazon delays

Mega Site sees action despite Amazon delays

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Officials said an Amazon Fulfillment Center being constructed in the Madison County Mega Site is expected to open sometime in February.

The Journal first reported in July 2020 that the shipping giant purchased 69.02 acres at the Mega Sitewest west of I-55 and Nissan Parkway off Mississippi 22 near Canton with a goal of opening the fulfillment center in time for the holidays in 2021. 

Though the fulfillment center missed its original target opening window, officials said progress is being made at the Madison County Mega Site.

District 4 Madison County Supervisor and Board President Karl Banks said the Amazon Fulfillment Center is waiting on conveyor belts.

“I understand that sometime into February, they should start cranking it up,” Banks said.

Amazon declined to provide updates on the project for this story. Still, anyone waiting for the jobs to come available can sign up for text notifications by texting MISSNOW to 77088.

The Amazon building has been largely complete since this summer, with the remainder of the work to be done in the interior of the building. In November 2020, the company announced that the facility would bring as many as 1,000 full-time jobs to the state.

The facility will be at least four stories and will house most of the sortable goods sold on Amazon. Associates will pick, pack and ship customers’ orders alongside robots.

Madison County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Joey Deason said even though the Amazon facility has been delayed, 2021 has been a productive year for business growth in Madison County.

“As we come to the close of 2021, I can say it has been an exciting year,” Deason said.

Deason said that the 900-acre Mega Site continues to get a lot of attention. About 20 projects are in the works that could represent a total $10 billion investment in the county and as many as 8,000 jobs.

Agron LLC, a newly formed partnership with Agracel and Ergon, announced in May, it is building a 100,000 square-foot speculative building. The industrial shell building will initially be constructed to 100,000 square feet, with the ability to expand to 300,000 square feet.

Deason said they are waiting on steel availability before moving forward, but his last update said they hope to have the shell completed by August or September 2022.

MCEDA recently completed clearing and grubbing along the access road to the Mega Site, and the base of a water tank is in place, Deason said. 

The Mega Site is not the only place where the county is experiencing growth. According to an MCEDA report released this fall, countywide sales tax increased 13% during the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year.

Most recently, MCEDA, in conjunction with the town of Flora and the Mississippi Development Authority, announced on Dec. 21 that Tony’s Tamales would bring a distribution center to Flora’s industrial park just off U.S. 49 north of town.

“The town of Flora is excited to welcome Tony’s Tamales to our industrial park,” Mayor Les Childress said. “Homegrown businesses like these are a natural fit to the community of Flora, and we are looking forward to assisting Tony’s Tamales in their future growth.” 

An MDA press release said that the project is expected to generate 30 jobs and represents a $690,000 corporate investment in the area.

Gov. Tate Reeves said, “I look forward to watching this project bring even more economic growth to Madison County.”

Tony’s Tamales is a “homegrown” Mississippi company that started in 1982 as a restaurant in Jackson as the result of owner Robert Mosley’s desire to bring his tamales to the state capital. 






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