Amazon Announces It Will Close Coffeyville Distribution Center

While jobs are coming to one part of Oklahoma, just across the state line in Coffeyville, Kansas, another big employer is leaving.

Hundreds of people will soon be out of work in once Amazon closes its distribution center there.

Amazon's decision to shut down its distribution center in Coffeyville, is not just terrible for Coffeyville's economy, but it also will impact workers who are employed there now and who live in other communities like Bartlesville and Nowata.

9/30/2014 Related Story: Amazon Closing Coffeyville, Kansas Shipping Center

Surrounded by other economic leaders from across Montgomery County in Kansas, the executive director of the County's Action Council says they're all committed to recover from the loss of Coffeyville's Amazon distribution center.

"We will recover from this, we're going to work together as a county," economic development leader Aaron Heckman said.

Amazon announced it will close the nearly one-million square foot facility in February.

The company just celebrated its 15th anniversary in Coffeyville and at one time was the largest distribution center operated by Amazon.

But the company says it re-evaluated its shipping locations.

"Their official word to us was that as a company, they're moving toward facilities closer located to population centers where their ultimate product ends up," Heckman said.

The decision will impact hundreds of employees and their families across the region in Kansas and Oklahoma.

"These job losses don't just affect us here locally, but also across state lines,” Heckman said.

Amazon says every Coffeyville employee will have the option of transferring to another center with the company helping with moving expenses.

The company has 40 centers nationwide, the closest being in the Dallas area.

"Ultimately now that they have come to this decision, while not what we were hoping for, we're committed more than ever to see that we recover,” Heckman said.

If workers choose not to transfer, they'll get severance pay and education and job placement help.

To make matters worse, John Deere about a month ago announced it's laying off 460 employees at four of its facilities nationwide, including one in Coffeyville, and earlier in the year, Southwire, which produces wire cabling and cabling products, announced it is closing up shop in Coffeyville by next March.

3/26/2014 Related Story: Southwire To Close Coffeyville Plant By 2015, Impacting 200 Jobs