Amazon’s 1.2 million-square-foot fulfillment center off of Chrissman Road in rural Tracy was a feather in the cap for the South County when the company began distribution operations last fall. 

And things are going better than expected. 

In a press release distributed on Tuesday, the company announced that it will be hiring 200 more full-time employees to meet the growing customer demand to augment the workforce of more than 1,000 that already staff the massive shipping facility. The complex – the fourth that the Internet giant has opened in the state in only two years. 

“We are pleased that Amazon is continuing its already-significant investment in its Tracy fulfillment center,” California Senator Cathleen Galgiani said in a statement. “Amazon’s expansion of its workforce by more than 200 jobs not only creates more opportunities for the community but also represents exciting new economic growth, both for Tracy and the many communities in the Central Valley.”

Amazon – the world’s largest online retailer – is headquartered in Seattle and uses a marketplace system that distributes both products that it stocks in depots like the one located in Tracy and those that are carried by alternate member sellers. 

The company, which employed a “slow growth” model and didn’t become profitable for several years after it become a household name, has become the go-to for Internet commerce and has acquired a litany of competitors as it continues its meteoric rise. 

And tech is still the name of the game. 

The company made international news when typically reclusive CEO Jeff Bezos did a 60 Minutes segment just before the holiday shopping season formally began last year that showcased the unmanned drone system that the company is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to employ. 

A fulfillment center also operates just south of Tracy along I-5 in Patterson. 

“Amazon’s investment in San Joaquin County is a strong vote of confidence in the strength of our workforce and the continuing development of our local economy,” Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman wrote. “It’s a clear demonstration that investing in this economy pays off.”

Employees that are hired will immediately become eligible for benefits that include health insurance, a 401(k) with 50 percent match, bonuses, company stock awards and a network of support designed to help employees succeed. The company also provides full-time employees innovation programs like tuition reimbursement for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills learned are relevant to a career at the company. 

Those interested in applying can visit www.workatamazonfulfillment.com.