American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. recently announced the grand opening of a new one million square foot distribution center in Luzerne County. The center is located in Hazleton CAN DO's Humboldt Industrial Park. This is the largest single facility in the history of CAN DO.
The state of the art facility features several new distribution center technologies including material handling equipment that provides enhanced speed, expanded software and technological capabilities, and a LEED-certified building design to further support the American Eagle Outfitters' efforts to reduce and eliminate negative impacts to the environment.
The company plans to hire 100 full-time employees, 400 seasonal employees and more than 600 associates working at the distribution center. For 36 years, American Eagle Outfitters has been headquartered and operating in Pennsylvania.
Senior Human Resources Manager Sandy Sola explained in order to secure the entry level workforce, American Eagle Outfitters worked with local temporary agencies. The group worked closely with the PA CareerLink, Sola explained the company has been very pleased with the types of applicants they interviewed.
The regional economic development organization Penn's Northeast and CAN DO also invited representatives from the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development to tour the facility before the grand opening as a way to show what not only Hazleton, but northeastern Pennsylvania as a whole, is able to do for businesses.
“This tour gave them the advantage of seeing this incredible facility with their own eyes. Now, they know what types of businesses we are looking to attract to our region, and how we're going to do it,” said Penn's Northeast President Ron Maloney. "They can now share their firsthand experience of visiting American Eagle Outfitters and Greater Hazleton with business leaders throughout the world.”
