Amazon’s new facility in Anchorage is speeding up delivery times in Alaska, according to the online retail giant.
The ground-delivery station opened in November and, since then, delivery times have cut in half, Amazon spokeswoman Leigh Anne Gullett said.
“That’s going to continue to speed up and improve as we move towards that 100% operational state,” she said.
The ground-delivery station is Amazon’s first in Alaska, and it’s the last stop before packages are delivered to customers. Gullett said the facility is still in a “ramp up” period and they’re hiring. She said there’s a particular need for what’s called a delivery service partner owner or DSP.
Amazon delivery vans aren’t operated by Amazon. Instead, DSP owners are responsible for delivering packages, managing a fleet of vehicles and hiring employees.
Tamas Komuves is a senior business development manager with the program. He said DSP owners typically manage up to 30 routes and 50 employees. He said they’re looking to hire in the Anchorage area because there’s been a significant increase in Amazon orders.
“The state of Alaska is kind of our last frontier in many ways,” said Komuves. “We will be looking to expand the DSP program further out to some other locations as well.”
He said the Anchorage warehouse delivered their millionth package the weekend of April 13.
Komuves said startup costs for a DSP owner range from $10,000 to $30,000 and there’s available grants to offset that cost.
Ava White reports on economics and hosts the statewide morning news at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at awhite@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8445. Read more about Ava here.
