Owasso official: Macy’s could hire up to 5,000 for Tulsa County distribution center
September 18, 2014 Tulsa World: OWASSO — A new Macy’s distribution center being built in north Tulsa County could employ 5,000 people by this time next year, an Owasso official said.
“That is twice as much as we were anticipating,” said Chelsea Levo, Owasso’s director of economic development, on Wednesday. “It is a 1.3 million-square-foot footprint, but it is two-tiered space, which we didn’t realize. That’s additional production.”
In a Tax Incentive District agreement with Tulsa County earlier this year, Macy’s had stated that it would employ at least 1,020 full-time equivalent and 367 full-time employees at the facility.
But at last week’s Tulsa meeting, Macy’s said it wants to open in July with 1,500 employees, expanding to 5,000 for “peak” time (September through December), then dropping to 4,000 for the non-peak season, Levo said. The number of full-time positions also could double, she said.
“All of this is great news,” Levo said.
Macy’s wants to fill 50 executive positions by October and another 50 managerial positions by December, with 70 percent of those jobs scheduled to be new hires, she said. The company also is working with area outplacement organizations on establishing an hourly wage, she said.
“… That, to me, was impressive,” Levo said. “They are willing to work with us in the area.”
Macy’s hasn’t said publicly how much it will pay employees at its Tulsa County fulfillment center. But at a similar facility near Martinsburg, West Virginia, employee pay starts at about $10.50 per hour for seasonal workers, according to a previous statement by Stephen Christian, executive director of the Berkeley County Economic Development Authority.
People 18 and older can apply for part-time positions beginning in December, Levo said. The city of Owasso is working to establish a mass-transit or park-and-ride solution for workers in the area, she said.
Job-seekers can apply at macysjobs.com and through the Cherokee Nation, a recruiter for the Macy’s facility, at the tribe’s career service office at 10837 E. Marshall St. in Tulsa.
