The Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership has announced that AutoZone, the leading retailer and distributor of automotive parts and products in the United States, will establish a distribution facility in Ocala. This facility will service AutoZone stores throughout Florida and Puerto Rico.
“We are grateful to the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, the Ocala City Council, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners and Cone Distributing for their warm welcome and support for our growing business,” said Rod Halsell, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain for AutoZone. “We look forward to being an active member of the Ocala and Marion County community in the coming years.”
The AutoZone Distribution Center construction will begin in early 2017 and open in 2018. The complex represents a capital investment in excess of $50 million and will create more than 240 new jobs and will generate more than $7 million in economic impact.
“We are excited to welcome AutoZone to Marion County,” said Marion County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Kathy Bryant. “Within three years, our community will have 240 more job opportunities through this one company, and the positive impact of that will certainly be felt within our community beyond those new employees and their families.”
“The City is very excited about AutoZone coming on board,” said Ocala City Council President Jim Hilty. “With the company’s capital investment and the creation of new jobs, we look forward to this project’s significant economic impact and overall benefit to the community.”
AutoZone, a Memphis, Tennessee-based Fortune 500 company, has more than 5,700 stores across 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Mexico and Brazil. The Ocala facility will be located on 60 acres of land in the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park.
Ken Ausley, Chairman of the CEP Board of Directors, commended the following public and private entities for their support and assistance during the site location process, stating, “This announcement represents a strong partnership between AutoZone, the City of Ocala, Marion County, CareerSource CLM, Ocala 489 LLC, Enterprise Florida, and the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership.”
