Escanaba Amazon facility expands reach across UP

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) - Amazon’s new delivery hub in Escanaba marks a significant investment in the Upper Peninsula, expanding the company’s reach across the region.

Amazon Senior Manager for Economic Development Policy Kyle Degiulio says the nearly 50,000-square-foot facility is now fully operational.

“Today if your shopping on Amazon packages could take anywhere from 5 to 7 days. Now that this building is open it’s 2 days or less. So really delivering on that promise to customers of getting them their items quickly,” Degiulio said.

Degiulio says the center functions as the final stop in the delivery chain, where shipments arriving from larger distribution centers are sorted and transferred to local drivers for delivery to homes and businesses throughout the U.P.

Dozens of facility workers and drivers are currently on staff with increased hiring for the upcoming holiday season now underway.

The celebration marked not only the opening of the new facility but also a return to the community. The organization presented a $10,000 donation to Tri County Safe Harbor, with Executive Director Liz Reed accepting the check on behalf of the organization and its mission to assist those in need.

“All domestic violence agencies in the state have experienced another funding reduction through state and federal funding. We lost another $41,861 dollars. So, this funding will greatly help us try to cut those gaps,” Reed said.

The hub is designed specifically for “last-mile” delivery, the final step that gets packages from a distribution center directly to customers’ doorsteps. Degiulio says it’s a great start with more improvements to come.

“Really we’re getting better coverage of customer delivery and experience throughout the state which we’re really excited about. More to come, obviously we want to continue to deliver faster, more products, faster. But this is really a great thing for customers not only in the Upper Peninsula but also some zip codes in Wisconsin that will be coming from this site as well,” Degiulio said.

The new Amazon delivery center is the first of its kind in the U.P., strengthening the region’s overall infrastructure to serve rural customers.

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