BILLINGS — The city of Billings is now home to the second Amazon distribution center in the state. The new facility, known as WMT3, opened on Oct. 31 and follows the launch of a similar station in Missoula earlier this year.
Located in the Billings West End at 6767 Tun Tavern Road, the opening of the site means more jobs for Billings residents as current employees gear up for the busy holiday season.
"Personally, I love it. It's very exciting for me," said the center's site manager Danny Woodruff Friday. "Right now, we're processing about 2,500 units every day. We are going up to about 3,500 next week. We're going to continue ramping up like that for quite a while."
Woodruff said his team is expecting to process 19,000 units or boxes a day once the season gets busier, which means they'll need outside help.
"Right now within the building for Amazon, we have roughly 50 employees. We are expecting to get to, I think it's around 120 to 150 for the building," Woodruff said.
A team of a dozen employees and 20 drivers processed and delivered around 1,500 packages on the first day the facility opened.
"So far, it's been whirlwinds," said the site's on-the-road area manager Tori Hooten. "So we're gearing up or getting ready."
Hooten said packages from the center won't have to travel very far.
"I believe we are an hour to an hour and a half radius of Billings as our current delivery locations," Hooten said.
Because the units are coming from Boise, Idaho, Woodruff said customers won't have to wait very long for their deliveries.
"We're pretty good about making sure it's that three-to-five-day delivery for it. So, as long as it's coming from somewhere in that area it's going to be here," said Woodruff. "So, everyone should see that coming a lot faster."
Hooten said it's been a smooth start as she and other employees brace for the chaotic holiday season to come.
"Everyone so far is awesome. But we have a great team. We're hoping for it to build more and more," Hooten said.
Amazon will be hiring new employees and drivers through the end of the year to work at both of Montana’s Amazon delivery stations. You can visit this link for job listings.
