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State board approves five million dollar grant for Amazon

Flickr User Claudio Toledo https://flic.kr/p/4HXS5d

  

The online giant Amazon is getting millions of dollars from Michigan to build a new performance center.

 

Amazon is getting a 5 million dollar performance based grant. That’s coming from the quasi-public Michigan Strategic Fund board – they give out grants for job creation and economic development projects.

The development is in line with Governor Snyder’s goals to make Michigan a logistics hub.

Ryan Wilson is a manager of economic development for Amazon.

“We’re just excited to be here and we want people to know that this will be majority full-time employees. These aren’t part-timers. They have the exact same benefits that anyone in our corporate office does.”

Romulus mayor LeRoy Burcoff says this will spur future development in the city.

“It’s huge for Romulus right now. I mean this is an opportunity where we have undeveloped area around the airport and we’re really thinking that this is going to be a catalyst for development. Jobs, obviously.

Warren Evans is a Wayne County Executive.

“It’s the kind of employment that you like to build around and hopefully our county is bouncing back enough that we’ll also be able to capture residents and housing in the Wayne County area too. So we’re really excited.”

Critics of Amazon accuse the online retailer of putting smaller, brick and mortar stores out of business.