OCEANSIDE — The April 10 groundbreaking for the 306,054-square-foot FedEx Ground distribution facility drew state and city officials, who hailed the business as good for the region.
The distribution facility is expected to bring 500 immediate jobs, both hired and contracted, to Oceanside once it opens. When operations reach full capacity the facility is estimated to generate 1,000 jobs.
The 185 immediate hires by FedEx will include clerical, package handler and management positions. Salary estimates given at a Planning Commission meeting in November 2014 were between $13 an hour and $62,000 in annual salary.
Oceanside Councilman Chuck Lowery said the hundreds of new jobs are great news for Oceanside and the 78 corridor.
Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, District 75, echoed the praise.
“It will have a very positive impact on all of North County,” Waldron said. “It will have a trickle down effect on the whole region.”
The distribution center will be built on a 38-acre site off of Avenida Del Oro in the Pacific Coast Business Park. In addition to the main facility, a 3,196-square-foot gateway building, a 5,727-square-foot vehicle maintenance building and a parking lot will be constructed.
The Oceanside facility is key in the company’s national plan to increase productivity and amp up speed of delivery.
“The site was chosen because of its ease of access to major highways, proximity to customers’ distribution centers and a strong local community workforce for recruiting employees,” Nikki Mendicino, communications coordinator for FedEx Ground, said.
“Since 2005, the company has opened 11 new hubs featuring advanced material-handling systems and expanded or relocated more than 500 local facilities.”
Facilities expansion and relocation has paid off. Ground-service delivery has accelerated by a day or more in most states.
“We’re getting our packages faster to you than the competition,” John Hiltz, FedEx Ground vice president of regional operations, said.
The Oceanside facility will process 15,000 packages per hour, and operate 24/7 year round.
The city has held out open arms for the FedEx Ground facility since it was proposed. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the facility in November 2014.
“It’s the whole reason the business park was designed to begin with, to bring in strong business partners,” Commissioner Claudia Troisi said.
The FedEx Ground distribution facility is expected to open in August 2017.
