Amazon to open ‘last mile’ delivery station in Dayton, near airport

It is expected to employ more than 100 people, not including an expected five to 10 delivery service partners working at the station — and each of those partners can be expected to employ on average 50 to 100 of their own employees.

With every delivery station, several small logistics companies operate within, an Amazon spokeswoman said.

“The story is more than Amazon hiring who they have to,” said Tate Borcoman, an Amazon delivery service partner and president of Packing Pros at the Kettering Amazon delivery station, which has operated for two years.

“The creation of new jobs will good for the entire region,” said Shelley Dickstein, Dayton city manager. “I am excited to see the ripple effect this new facility will have on the greater Dayton economy.”

The facility will be similar to the Amazon delivery station in the Kettering Business Park, which has operated since the summer of 2019, handling the last leg of shipments.

Jobs will pay an average starting wage of $17 per hour, provide health benefits, paid time off, up to 20 weeks fully paid parental leave, Amazon said.

When a customer orders a product on Amazon, large fulfillment centers — like the one in Monroe or the one being built in Union — fill the orders. Often, packages are handed off to carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx or UPS.

But Amazon has worked feverishly in recent years to expand its own network of delivery stations, like the one in Kettering and the planned station in Dayton. When you see those big grey-and-blue Amazon vans in your neighborhood, they come from those stations.

Today, Amazon operates 13 delivery stations in Ohio. The Kettering station is expected to continue operating, Amazon said.

Borcoman said Thursday that everything he and his 80 employees deliver is purchased on the Amazon web site or app. And he could use another 15 to 20 drivers as the holiday shopping season approaches.

“Amazon has always put in front us the need to grow our team,” said Borcoman, who also owns Action Staffing Services in Lebanon.

The new Dayton station and others like it can be seen as a “great opportunity” for those trying to break into the logistics business “if they’re willing to put in the work,” he said.

“It’s going to be a heck of a lot of jobs created,” he said.

For those interested, Borcoman suggested as a first step investigating the Amazon DSP program.