Amazon.com Plans To Open First Facility In Illinois Next Year

John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network

Amazon.com plans on opening its first facility in Illinois next year.

Exactly where hasn’t been decided yet, but the goal is to open several facilities around the state and create 1,000 new jobs by 2017. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says the match makes sense given Illinois’ transportation infrastructure and its location.

“If you reflect on this for a moment, you realize this is also our history,” Durbin said. “It’s Sears. It’s Montgomery Ward. Every retail giant comes here, because they understand Chicago is the focal point, the center point, when it comes to retail operations.”

Sites outside the Chicago area will be considered by Amazon. The retailer isn’t receiving incentives from the state as part of their expansion, but Gov. Pat Quinn isn’t ruling out the possibility of offering some in the future, depending on where the facilities are built.