Improving Business in the Wilmington Region

Amazon Moves Ahead with Second Facility at Pender Commerce Park

It’s been six months since regional leaders joined executives from Amazon [Nasdaq: AMZN] in celebrating the Seattle-based retailer’s plans for a massive, robotics-driven fulfillment center at Pender Commerce Park that will support its southeastern U.S. business. More recently, company officials also commenced work nearby on a “last-mile” delivery station that will directly serve Amazon’s Greater Wilmington customers.

“Construction of this 3 million-sq.-ft. fulfillment center is progressing tremendously,” says Sam Blatt, Amazon’s Senior Manager of Economic Development for North Carolina of the company’s larger “Project Whale” initiative. “The building shell is complete, landscaping is wrapping up, and Amazon is now outfitting the interior with advanced robotics and operational equipment. We remain on track for our Fall 2026 launch.”

Amazon’s interest in Pender Commerce Park for its 142,000-sq.-ft “Project Tuna” delivery station had culminated with its 2022 acquisition of 40 acres there. Work there has also begun, Blatt says. “We’re well underway with construction. The foundation slab has been poured, utility work is progressing, and we’re preparing to go vertical shortly,” Blatt says.

Delivery Stations power the last mile of Amazon’s order process and help speed up deliveries for customers. The company’s delivery station at Pender Commerce Park will create 100 full-time jobs, Blatt says. “The last-mile facility will receive customer orders from other facilities in our network such as the nearby fulfillment center, sort them by delivery route, and dispatch them via our delivery service partners in Amazon-branded vans,” he explains. “Combined with Project Whale, this means faster delivery speeds throughout the Wilmington region, with Amazon managing the entire fulfillment journey from the moment we pack an item to the second it reaches your doorstep,” Blatt says.

Amazon is the latest in a string of companies to develop new facilities at Pender Commerce Park. The 450-acre industrial property welcomed its first tenant in 2013 — Acme Smoked Fish. Since then, Empire Distributors, FedEx Freight, Coastal Beverage, Pender Commerce Partners 1 LLC and Polyhose have constructed facilities there. RL Cold, a division of RealtyLink, and Ramm Capital Partners have also completed work on significant industrial footprints in the park as well. Equipped with the latest utility infrastructure, Pender Commerce Park is located on U.S. Highway 421, just three miles off I-140 and 13 miles from the Port of Wilmington.

“In just over a decade, Pender Commerce Park has gone from a dream to a reality that now includes some of the world’s most successful companies,” says Scott Satterfield, Chief Executive Officer at Wilmington Business Development. “Amazon keeps that momentum going, closing out development at the park. WBD appreciates the commitment this world-class company is making to Greater Wilmington’s economy.”