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7/1/2025
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Amazon's Johnston Robotics Fulfillment Center Primed for Action Following Grand Opening with Speaker Shekarchi, Sen. Gallo
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 JOHNSTON, RI — Amazon's robotics fulfillment center in Rhode Island celebrated its official grand opening today in Johnston, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting held one week before Amazon's biggest shopping event of the year—Prime Day 2025. The 3.8 million-square-foot building, which stretches nearly a quarter-mile from north to south, employs more than 1,500 full-time associates who pick, pack and ship customer items such as books, electronics, housewares, and toys. The facility - known as PVD2 in Amazon parlance - features robotics technology that assists employees in fulfilling customer orders, and is preparing for its first Prime Day event running July 8-11.
The grand opening featured remarks from House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi; Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo; Gov. Dan McKee; Joseph M. Polisena Jr., mayor of Johnston; Jonathan Greeley, principal of Amazon Economic Development; Brad Griggs, director of Amazon Economic Development; and Sultan Kabiawu, Amazon site lead of PVD2. Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, Rep. Richard Fascia, and Rep. Evan Shanley were also in attendance among a host of state and local officials.
“Amazon’s growth in Rhode Island is great news for our state’s economy,” said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi. “I am thrilled that in addition to creating 1,500 new jobs with this expansion, Amazon is already supporting approximately 1,000 Rhode Island-based small and medium businesses.”
“Today’s grand opening demonstrates clearly that Johnston is a great place to do business,” said Senator Andrew R. Dimitri (D-Dist. 25, Johnston, R.I.). “I am grateful to Amazon for partnering with our town and bringing this cutting-edge facility to our community. Moving forward, this project will benefit all Rhode Islanders by creating employment opportunities, spurring investment and innovation, and enhancing service to customers across the state.”
“The opening of Amazon’s robotics fulfillment center is a major economic milestone for Rhode Island,” said Governor Dan McKee. “This state-of-the-art facility represents over 1,500 new jobs in our state and reflects Amazon’s long-term commitment to Rhode Island. The $400 million investment in Johnston strengthens our economy and positions Rhode Island as a hub for innovation."
"Today is a proud day for Johnston," said Mayor Joseph M. Polisena Jr. "Amazon's decision to build this state-of-the-art facility in our community has already delivered tremendous benefits through construction jobs and will continue to provide economic growth for decades to come. The community partnership payments will fund important local initiatives, from education to infrastructure, enhancing the quality of life for all Johnston residents."
"The grand opening of PVD2 represents an exciting chapter for Amazon in Rhode Island and a significant enhancement to our customer experience in New England. This incredible facility demonstrates our long-term commitment to Johnston and the entire state," said Amazon's Sultan Kabiawu. "What makes me most proud is how our team of 1,500 dedicated associates works alongside innovative robotics technology to deliver faster, more efficient service to our customers. As we prepare for our first Prime Day at this site next week, we're bringing products closer to New England customers, reducing delivery times, and creating quality jobs that offer competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and real pathways for career advancement."
Following the remarks, Amazon officials led facility tours for attendees, showcasing Amazon Robotics technology including hundreds of drive units that work collaboratively alongside employees.
PVD2's official grand opening celebration comes just one week before the facility's first Prime Day. The expanded four-day event, running July 8-11, will feature millions of deals across all categories, including "Today's Big Deals"—themed daily deal drops featuring some of the most exciting offers from top brands like Samsung, Kiehl's, and Levi's. The Johnston fulfillment center is ramping up operations to process the surge in orders expected during this major shopping event while ensuring fast, reliable delivery to customers throughout Rhode Island and beyond.
PVD2 represents a key component of Amazon's regionalization strategy, which focuses on shipping more products from locations closer to customers. By strategically positioning fulfillment centers like this one in Johnston, Amazon is working toward speeding up deliveries while reducing travel distance and stops per package.
Across its network, Amazon is working to make sure more of the products customers want are stocked locally and in the right buildings within each region. With the help of AI, Amazon is able to expand the selection of products kept as close as possible to customers, stocking more everyday essentials that customers order and re-order consistently, such as paper towels and pet food. This means more customers can get the items they want most frequently even faster.
Among the special guests at today's grand opening was John Speights, owner of Cooper's Cask Coffee and Go Mental Mushroom Coffee, R.I.-based small businesses that sell premium coffee products on Amazon. Since establishing in 2015 and launching on Amazon in 2016, Cooper's Cask Coffee has grown from a garage operation to a USDA Certified Organic roastery with a 5,000-square-foot facility. In 2024, Speights expanded his offerings by launching Go Mental Coffee, which combines USDA Organic Grade 1 coffee beans with functional mushrooms like lion's mane, cordyceps, and reishi to create blends that support mental clarity and overall well-being.
"What began as a passion project with whiskey barrels from a local distillery has evolved into a thriving business thanks in part to our partnership with Amazon," said Speights. "We now offer over 30 coffee products, including single-origin coffees from renowned regions worldwide and have expanded into functional mushroom coffee blends with Go Mental. Prime Day is one of our biggest sales opportunities of the year, and seeing firsthand how Amazon's fulfillment network operates gets me excited for next week's event."
Cooper's Cask Coffee and Go Mental are among the 1,000 independent sellers from Rhode Island growing their businesses through Amazon's store. More than 60% of sales on Amazon come from independent sellers—primarily small and medium-sized businesses. In Rhode Island, these sellers averaged more than $160,000 in annual sales and collectively sold more than 4 million items in 2024.
At the Johnston fulfillment center, starting pay for associates begins at $20.50 per hour. Depending on position and experience, employees at Amazon facilities across the U.S. can earn up to $29.50 per hour when including the value of benefits.
Amazon offers comprehensive benefits that begin on day one and include health care coverage, up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave, ways to save for the future, pre-paid college tuition funding, and other resources to improve health and well-being. Additionally, employees have opportunities to own Amazon stock, participate in 401(k) plans with company match, and enroll in paid life insurance.
Through its popular Career Choice program, the company prepays college tuition at campuses like Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and Rhode Island College (RIC), high school diplomas, GEDs, and English as a Second Language (ESL) proficiency certifications for its front-line employees—including those who have been at the company for as little as three months.
Amazon has invested $1 billion in Rhode Island since 2010, including infrastructure and compensation to employees, adding another $1 billion to the state gross domestic product (GDP). With more than $400 million invested directly into PVD2, this facility represents one of the company's largest single investments in the state. The company has created over 1,500 full-time jobs at PVD2, plus additional positions at its other facilities in the state, which include one delivery station and three Whole Foods Market locations. Additionally, Amazon's presence has supported 5,400 indirect jobs across Rhode Island.
Construction of PVD2 created more than 2,200 construction-related jobs, with nearly all contracts awarded to union shops. This included more than $25 million awarded to minority or women-owned businesses, further strengthening the local economy.
Over the next 20 years PVD2 will add more than $144 million in local revenue. Additionally, Amazon is contributing nearly $35 million to support state, regional and local efforts through a Community Partnership Agreement including:
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$19 million of investments in local priorities, including education, public safety, youth sports, senior center, and municipal land trust.
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$11 million for off-site infrastructure improvements, including partnering with RI DOT to make significant safety upgrades to Route 6.
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$4 million in contributions to Rhode Island’s Small Business Training Program and the Municipal Education and Training Program, and
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Investing up to $900,000 with RIPTA for employee transit benefits.
Safety is integral to everything Amazon does. Since 2019, Amazon has invested more than $2 billion in safety efforts, with hundreds of millions allocated for 2025 alone to further improve safety technologies, resources, training, and programs. The company's global recordable incident rate has improved 34% over the past five years and 6% year over year. Amazon employs more than 10,000 safety professionals dedicated to keeping over 1 million employees safe every day.
PVD2 Fast Facts
Building Scale & Operations
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This 5-story, 3.8 million-square-foot building sits on a hilltop site at 2120 Hartford Ave. in Johnston, R.I.
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The first floor alone spans 20 acres (about 800,000 square feet).
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From north to south, the building is just under ¼ mile long.
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PVD2 stocks approximately 41 million items on its upper 4 floors.
Construction & Materials
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Amazon invested more than $400 million into PVD2.
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1.5 million cubic yards of earth and rock were moved to grade the property.
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70,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in construction.
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21,000 tons of steel were used to erect the building.
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The building features 42,000 sprinkler heads, 360,000-gallon fire water storage tanks, and 1,700 fire alarm devices.
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110 roof top HVAC equipment units were installed.
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The facility includes 22 receiving overhead doors, 41 shipping overhead doors, 1,800 employee parking spots, and 204 trailer spaces.
Technology & Sustainability
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The facility houses over 6,000 Amazon robots that move inventory around the facility.
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Each robotic drive unit can lift up to 1,500 pounds while weighing just 320 pounds itself.
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The project helped relocate a large solar field that generates more than 5,000 MWh/year for the Cranston School District.
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The facility is part of Amazon's broader regionalization strategy, which aims to ship more products from locations closer to customers.
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Across its network, Amazon is working to stock more everyday essentials locally that customers order regularly, like paper towels and pet food.
For more information, contact:
Larry Berman, Communications Director for the Office of the Speaker
State House Room 322
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2466
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