The Good News Report

[KJHburg]

If this was a new company coming to town it would be front page news. Amazon hiring 2400 new people for its Charlotte facilities according to the Biz Journal this morning.

They number all their facilities CLT1. CLT2 etc.   They now have 7 open or in progress.  

first facility was the Amazon Sortation center in Concord by the airport now 2 more facilities in Cabarrus 1 M sq ft in Kannapolis, new Amazon Delivery Hub in Concord on Goodman Rd just opened.  3 in Cabarrus county. 

4 facilities in Charlotte:  one on Old Dowd and Wilkinson,  2nd one at Wilkinson Commerce Park a few blocks away, the huge multilevel warehouse at I-85/485 on former airport property and the the newest is at WestPark off Performance Rd off Sam Wilson and it is over 500K sq. ft.  4 in Mecklenburg county. 

""A spokeswoman for the company tells CBJ its latest hiring spree will include 2,400 positions at its facilities in the Charlotte region. It's part of a push to add 100,000 full- and part-time employees across the country for its network. Amazon is also hiring remote workers for corporate and tech positions.""

 

[KJHburg]

1000 new jobs at new Amazon facility in west Charlotte the 5th such facility in the metro area.

Since 1000s of retail and restaurant and hotel jobs have been lost this is welcome news I would think esp. with the starting hourly at $15. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/09/30/amazon-charlotte-westpark-85-1000-jobs.html

 

[CLT2014]

25 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

1000 new jobs at new Amazon facility in west Charlotte the 5th such facility in the metro area.

Since 1000s of retail and restaurant and hotel jobs have been lost this is welcome news I would think esp. with the starting hourly at $15. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/09/30/amazon-charlotte-westpark-85-1000-jobs.html

How many more years until we are all working in an Amazon warehouse LOL. These things are growing like weeds while other businesses drop like dominoes around us. 

[KJHburg]

1 minute ago, CLT2014 said:

How many more years until we are all working in an Amazon warehouse LOL. These things are growing like weeds while other businesses drop like dominoes around us. 

they are good transitional jobs some will work while in college or right after until they get work experience.   they do provide a way to move up and with their growth there would be advancement opportunities.  as for me done my time in a warehouse way back with Royal Insurance had a warehouse here in town just for forms and supplies.  Like my job at McDonalds as a fry cook just a notch on the belt of my employment history. 

[elrodvt]

not necessarily good news imho. but whatever,  good info.

[Windsurfer]

1 hour ago, CLT2014 said:

How many more years until we are all working in an Amazon warehouse LOL. These things are growing like weeds while other businesses drop like dominoes around us. 

Sad, but good question. I swear I can't find a many young folks who have the imagination to run a smaller scale distribution warehouse by themselves. I only have a couple of relatives, and, even they are enamored of big names.  You have to really have a lot of confidence to do it on your own. Creating something that Amazon will sell for you will only take you so far.  I'm pretty bitter about the big fish eating little fish thing.

[elrodvt]

^ I hate what they've done to independent book stores and so many other lines of business.

I also hate myself for continuing to buy from them all the time to save a few bucks and get good shipping and returns. ;-)

[JHart]

14 hours ago, KJHburg said:

they are good transitional jobs some will work while in college or right after until they get work experience.   they do provide a way to move up and with their growth there would be advancement opportunities.  as for me done my time in a warehouse way back with Royal Insurance had a warehouse here in town just for forms and supplies.  Like my job at McDonalds as a fry cook just a notch on the belt of my employment history. 

Unfortunately this isn't the 60's anymore and there really aren't transitional jobs like there used to be thought of anymore. They pay $15/hr because that is the minimum it takes to get people to stay working under their warehouse conditions and they still have insanely high turnover. Do you think Amazon is pulling people out of warehouses for management positions because they're quick with a broom and always have a smile like they used to? 

These 1000's of jobs across the country at distribution centers that are just temporary placeholders because right now for a few years until they get everything completely automated. Honestly if these jobs lasted 5 years here I would be surprised..

[KJHburg]

I guess you are misunderstanding me.  I am saying many will work jobs like this while in school, community college as a 2nd job and transition to other jobs after getting a work history.

Good luck eliminating all humans at distribution warehouses we are a LONG way from ever seeing that. 

I don't shop at Amazon for anything.  Nothing so I am not contributing to their growth. 

[elrodvt]

Adding sweat shop jobs with very high injury rates isn't necessarily good news was my only point.

[Blue_Devil]

9 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Adding sweat shop jobs with very high injury rates isn't necessarily good news was my only point.

Why do you call them sweat shop jobs? On average they pay 18+ an hour for unskilled labor. Not many companies doing that right now. 

[elrodvt]

Have a look at the various expose that have come out recently. I believe there was a 60 minutes and a frontline? Employees are treated like crap and put in dangerous positions.  Their injury rates are much higher than normal. 

[Blue_Devil]

14 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Have a look at the various expose that have come out recently. I believe there was a 60 minutes and a frontline? Employees are treated like crap and put in dangerous positions.  Their injury rates are much higher than normal. 

A sweat shop is a form of slave labor, I think it is pretty gross to compare the plight of human trafficking and overseas  child labor in its various forms, to people working at an Amazon factory. Especially a company who added 100,000 jobs in one of the recessions we have seen... but thats just me...

[sclark]

14 minutes ago, Blue_Devil said:

A sweat shop is a form of slave labor, I think it is pretty gross to compare the plight of human trafficking and overseas  child labor in its various forms, to people working at an Amazon factory. Especially a company who added 100,000 jobs in one of the recessions we have seen... but thats just me...

Yep.

I've got a few professional musician friends who've recently taken jobs at Amazon to hold them over during COVID... it's been a lifesaver for them and their families. 

[elrodvt]

Sweat shop was not a carefully chosen phrase. I always thought it just meant a crap job. So, ok...

The point though was these are jobs of last resort and getting more of those may or may not be good... Depends if they take up oxygen that might've been put to better use. I imagine NC, given our limited labor protections, is a good spot for them to place these jobs.

43 minutes ago, Blue_Devil said:

A sweat shop is a form of slave labor, I think it is pretty gross to compare the plight of human trafficking and overseas  child labor in its various forms, to people working at an Amazon factory. Especially a company who added 100,000 jobs in one of the recessions we have seen... but thats just me...

Geeze give me a break. That was obviously not the intent.

[JHart]

10 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Geeze give me a break. That was obviously not the intent.

Lol no kidding: Sweatshop

noun

1. a factory or workshop, especially in the clothing industry, where manual workers are employed at very low wages for long hours and under poor conditions.

[KJHburg]

in other news not all good not all bad but the effects on the current commercial real estate market. some sectors like warehousing booming others more stagnant and some like retail just big uncertainty.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/10/01/interface-carolinas-conference-covid-19.html

In other news that would be good for office space developers and property owners work at home fatigue seems to be setting in more and more.

https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2020/10/01/work-from-home-fatigue-may-be-setting-in

[Hushpuppy321]

Just saw this quote in the CBJ

”At the end of Q3, the Charlotte market had 6.4 million square feet of office space under construction, including 2 million square feet in uptown and 2.5 million square feet in midtown and South End. Much of that space will be delivering in the first half of next year.”

Anyone care to tell me what projects they are talking about that make up the 2 Million SF for Uptown and the 2.5 Million SF for Midtown/SouthEnd?

[Blue_Devil]

8 hours ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Just saw this quote in the CBJ

”At the end of Q3, the Charlotte market had 6.4 million square feet of office space under construction, including 2 million square feet in uptown and 2.5 million square feet in midtown and South End. Much of that space will be delivering in the first half of next year.”

Anyone care to tell me what projects they are talking about that make up the 2 Million SF for Uptown and the 2.5 Million SF for Midtown/SouthEnd?

Uptown: Honeywell, DE2, LU2, FNB, Ally 

SouthEnd: Lowes, Spectrum, Hawkin Project, Small LoSo office, The one with the park, 

 

Thats just off the top of my head. 

[KJHburg]

Charlotte one of the top 10 cities for millenials according to Rentcafe. Actually coming in #6

https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/real-estate-news/the-hottest-cities-for-millennial-renters/

 

[KJHburg]

this and the Centene new office and tech center is probably the best news this year in Charlotte. 

Wake Forest and Atrium finalize their deal.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/10/09/atrium-health-wake-forest-strategic-combination.html?iana=hpmvp_clt_news_headline

[KJHburg]

here is a story the view from Winston and yes Charlotte is but soon to be no longer the largest US city without a medical school.  This is win win for Charlotte, WFU Baptist, and both cities.

https://journalnow.com/business/local/wake-forest-baptist-atrium-health-merge-into-a-single-enterprise-to-be-based-in-charlotte/article_a9ed0202-0a40-11eb-8859-1ff9b81e1389.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

[kermit]

39 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

here is a story the view from Winston and yes Charlotte is but soon to be no longer the largest US city without a medical school.  This is win win for Charlotte, WFU Baptist, and both cities.

https://journalnow.com/business/local/wake-forest-baptist-atrium-health-merge-into-a-single-enterprise-to-be-based-in-charlotte/article_a9ed0202-0a40-11eb-8859-1ff9b81e1389.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

man o man, will the last company to leave Winston please turn off the lights.

Ouch.

Edited October 10, 2020 by kermit

[nicholas]

1 hour ago, kermit said:

man o man, will the last company to leave Winston please turn off the lights.

Ouch.

I feel bad for Winston Salem.  Such an underrated city with so much potential, but....Charlotte keeps poaching its major employers, and most of the new development in the Triad seems to be going to Greensboro.

[Robbie Charlotte]

8 hours ago, KJHburg said:

here is a story the view from Winston and yes Charlotte is but soon to be no longer the largest US city without a medical school.  This is win win for Charlotte, WFU Baptist, and both cities.

https://journalnow.com/business/local/wake-forest-baptist-atrium-health-merge-into-a-single-enterprise-to-be-based-in-charlotte/article_a9ed0202-0a40-11eb-8859-1ff9b81e1389.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

I've assumed the medical school site will be in Midtown.  Is that far from a given?  Any chance this might end up in the suburbs, or will this be in center city?