Unboxing: Amazon’s arrival in Fayetteville

By Monica Kreber, posted Jun 4, 2021 on BizFayetteville.com

With the promise of “hundreds” of jobs, Amazon said it will open a delivery station in Fayetteville. (Illustration by Brianne Wright)

More than two years before Amazon announced it’s coming to Fayetteville, the project began with a modest name — Project Move.
Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, first heard about the opportunity in early 2019.
“At the time, we didn’t know who it was,” Van Geons said. “Most of our projects start with a code name.”
In early May, Project Move put Fayetteville on the map of locations selected by Amazon to expand its ever-growing distribution system.
Amazon’s delivery station at 1005 Dunn Road, which is currently owned by the Soffe family, will result in a $10 million investment in the region and more than 200 full-time and part-time jobs with Amazon and related logistics and delivery firms, Van Geons said.
Landing Amazon is a lesson in what the region can accomplish when it has available properties, moves quickly and knows how it’s being viewed outside the area.
“Fayetteville is a dynamic market,” said J. David Allen, a principal with RealtyLink in Raleigh who helped broker the deal. “I think the jobs that Amazon will bring to the area are going to be great jobs for those in the military.”
RealtyLink expects to finalize the purchase of the property from the Soffe family in June. It will then lease space to Amazon for the delivery station.
The property includes the 127,750 square-foot building and nearly 24 acres. Amazon will lease most of the building, but 52,500 square feet is still available, according to a Colliers real estate posting online.
RealtyLink has the ability to add a 140,000 square-foot building next to the current facility or add onto it, Allen noted, adding that no expansion decisions have been made.
“We’re committed as a company to the market – we like the market, it’s a stable market,” Allen said, alluding again to the military families in Fayetteville. “They have a lot of commerce going on there.”
While Amazon’s hunt for space in the Fayetteville region started two years ago, Van Geons saw activity pick up in early 2020.
“They were looking at numerous potential locations,” he said.
Van Geons praised city officials for “exceeding the company’s expectations” in helping Amazon through the regulatory process.
“This is a project they wanted to move quickly on,” he added.
Amazon expects to open the facility next year and hire employees starting at $15 per hour. Independent contractors will also be able to deliver packages using their vehicles through the Amazon Flex program.
Delivery stations address the “last mile” issue of quickly getting packages to customers after they’re routed through fulfillment and sorting centers, Amazon spokesperson Courtney Johnson Norman emailed in response to questions.
“We look for a variety of factors when deciding to launch a facility — customer demand, a talented workforce and great local support,” she noted. “We’ve found all three in Fayetteville.”
Jim Soffe, who was previously CEO of the M.J. Soffe Company, said the building where Amazon is locating was built in 1999 for their apparel business.
In 2003, the Soffe family sold the business to Delta Apparel, but the Soffes retained ownership of the building and leased it to the new owners.
Delta recently decided to move out of the building, and the Soffe family listed the property.
Soffe said he, along with city, county and local business officials, are pleased with the deal. He expects to collect his final rent check from Delta and then sell the property so the building can be prepared for Amazon.
“Everyone is happy to have them here,” Soffe said, “and my wife will get her stuff quickly.”

Monica Kreber reports for the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal. Rob Kaiser and David Kennard contributed to this story.

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