Amazon to build 750,000-square-foot DC in Joliet, Ill.; second big center there in two years

"Joliet Jake" of "Blues Brothers" film fame might be smiling down today on the gritty industrial city 40 miles southwest of Chicago that is his namesake. And he can thank Jeff Bezos for that.

Bezos' company, e-tailing behemoth Amazon.com Inc., said yesterday it would build a 750,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Joliet, not far from a 500,000-square-foot center that opened before Thanksgiving 2015. The company's statement did not mention an opening date. However, Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk told a local paper he assumes Amazon is targeting the same November time frame for the new facility.

Amazon said the new facility, which will employ 2,000 full-time workers, will be stocked mostly with smaller items such as books, toys, and electronics. The existing Joliet facility employs 1,500 full-time workers.

As of this month, Seattle-based Amazon had 162 facilities in the U.S., with 77 of those being fulfillment or redistribution centers, according to data from consultancy MWPVL International Inc.