By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor

As we come to the end of 2025, looking toward a prosperous 2026, let’s reflect on the difference one company has made in the life of NKY — and the differences yet to come.

Amazon’s year end report to the community was distributed to NKY homes recently and it cited some statistics worth noting.

Its impact is terrific: Of more than $1.5 trillion the company has invested in the U.S., $110 billion has been invested in Kentucky and Ohio since 2010. In addition, Amazon has created more jobs in the U.S. than any other employer.

That includes over 56,500 positions across Kentucky and Ohio.

Amazon pays full-time employees an average of $23 an hour — and access to “Anytime Pay” means they can get their paycheck when they need it. Employees also receive comprehensive benefits from Day One, including health care and 401(k) support and parental leave.

Amazon offers career advancement and education as well. More than 425,000 U.S. employees have participated in Amazon’s free education and skills training programs since 2019. Locally, Amazon has partnered with universities across the metro area to expand educational opportunities and upskilling initiatives.

In addition, Amazon partners with the community to create lasting, positive impact to combat food insecurity, assist with disaster relief, and support housing and eduction initiatives. Just recently, Amazon employees’ 2nd Make-A-Wish 5K Run/Walk made $100,000 in donations to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana to create life-changing experiences for children facing critical illnesses. The company is also a key supporter of the NKY Chamber of Commerce and BE NKY Growth Partnership and other key community organizations.

Amazon celebrated the 20th year of its massive facility at CVG in Hebron earlier this year, which now includes the Amazon Air Hub in Northern Kentucky. The NKY facility has evolved into one of the company’s most significant regional operations, creating more than 22,000 jobs across the state.

Growing from its early fulfillment operations to today’s state-of-the-art air hub has meant a $43 billion investment there. Amazon Air’s $1.5 billion investment at DVG has created the company’s largest global field operations site. The package-handling facility alone is the size of three football stadiums.

The 600-acre campus employs over 2,000 full-time employees, processes millions of customer packages weekly through its network of mobile drive units and its steady stream of Prime Air flights. State of the art technology — including robotics — keeps everything running smoothly.

Amazon’s commitment to sustainable operations resulted in a partnership with Duke Energy in 2023, to build Kentucky’s largest rooftop solar installation that generates clean electricity for approximately 400 local homes and businesses. In addition, they have rolled out more than 20,000 custom electric delivery vans across the U.S., including Northern Kentucky. All this is in sync with the company’s goal of decarbonizing its 100,000 delivery fleet by 2030 and to reach net-zero carbon across its global operations by 2040.

Twenty good years so far, now on to the next 20.