GRAND FORKS, N.D., May 18, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation today announced plans to expand the Company's customer service center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Amazon will create more than 200 full-time jobs and hundreds of seasonal jobs at the facility by the end of 2012.

"We are extremely excited for Amazon's expansion in Grand Forks. The company plays a key role in the economic climate of our community, and its expansion and addition of 200 new employees will continue to help Grand Forks and the region grow," said Klaus Thiessen, president/CEO of the Grand Forks Region EDC.

"We are proud to work with Amazon on this important expansion in Grand Forks. We look forward to Amazon's management and staff becoming an integral part of the community," said Doug Christensen, member of the Grand Forks City Council and chair of the Grand Forks Growth Fund.

"We are pleased to be investing further in our Grand Forks customer service center, creating hundreds of additional jobs in the community," said Pete Boudreaux, senior site leader, Amazon Customer Service. "We're looking for great people who are excited about giving Amazon customers a first-class shopping experience."

Amazon is currently recruiting candidates for customer service jobs at the Grand Forks center. Employees at Amazon's customer service center support customer calls and emails from around the world.

Amazon will be conducting an informational session for interested candidates at the Alerus Center, 1200 S. 42nd St., on May 26, 2011 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Candidates can also apply for jobs at www.amazon.com/careers.

This year, customers selected Amazon's customer service as the best among large US retailers through the 2011 Temkin Customer Experience rankings. In addition, Amazon was named one of the most admired companies for people management by FORTUNE Magazine.

The new center is expected to be complete in October 2011. The facility will be operated by AMZN wacs, Inc.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle with Special Offers and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle 3G and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.comwww.amazon.co.ukwww.amazon.dewww.amazon.co.jpwww.amazon.frwww.amazon.cawww.amazon.cn, and www.amazon.it. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

 

SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Line, 206-266-7180
or
Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation
Klaus Thiessen, 701-746-2721