Amazon coming to Monett

Ground broken for 120,000 square foot warehouse
 
Amazon.com, the international online marketing firm, will be building a warehouse on Chapell Drive, Monett, and has begun solicitation for employees through one of the employment agencies serving Monett.
Amazon.com Services LLC recorded the purchase of 25.4 acres of land south of the Tyson Foods hatchery and north of the Monett Speedway, immediately east of Enterprise Drive. The land purchase was recorded with the Barry County Recorder of Deeds on Sept. 10. Ground for the project was broken on Sept. 24.
As late as Sept. 27, Monett city officials denied all knowledge that Amazon was coming to Monett. The location can easily access water and sewer services provided by the city.
The estimated cost of the warehouse was listed at $22,222,390.
The company filed for a building permit under a false name, a common practice in transactions involving real estate to keep land prices from skyrocketing prior to closing a purchase. When Amazon built its distribution facility in Republic, Seefried Properties LLC acquired the property, a name not registered with the Missouri Secretary of State, and used the name Project Lunker for identification.Using the name Project Cub, Ryan Companies US Inc. filed for the building permit with the City of Monett to construct a new warehouse at 603 Chapell Drive. Ryan Companies has been listed with the Missouri Secretary of State since 2006. Its registered agent is Cogency Global, with an office in Rolla.

Non-disclosure slows info roll out
The cover page for the permit was obtained from the city through a written request under the Missouri Sunshine Law. Building Inspector Mike Eseman said he was asked to sign a non-closure agreement on the project. No previous case of the city building inspector having to sign a non-disclosure agreement is known.
The permit was approved on July 17, two months prior to recording the land purchase with the county.
The permit approves construction of a 119,152 square foot building, roughly the size of two regulation-sized high school football fields. The facility will also have a 29,679 square foot canopy, presumably over the loading dock.
For comparison, the Walmart store in Monett is 160,000 square feet. All of the buildings in the EFCO complex combined add up to 600,000 square feet. The main PlayPower/Miracle Recreation Equipment plant on Highway 60 is 235,625 square feet. The International Dehydrated Foods/Symrise plant on Chapell Drive is 145,000 square feet. The smaller PlayPower plant on County Road is 153,000 square feet.

Jobs coming to town
Amazon’s fulfillment center in Republic, which opened in 2021, is 1.3 million square feet and employs around 1,400 people.
Monett’s facility is expected to employ around 350 people. Contractor Emery Sapp and Sons, which purchased Hutchens Construction Company in Cassville in 2019, is involved with the first phase of construction.
Amazon has begun solicitation for employees through Focus Workforce Management in Monett. Focus’s main online listings do not identify Amazon as an employer. An online search for Amazon jobs in Monett does produce a direct identification for “Amazon Jobs/ Monett MO.” Focus did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
In addition, Amazon sent a mass mailing to residents in and around the Monett zip code last weekend with a QR code link to Amazon wage opportunities.
Jobs with unidentified employers listed by Focus cite $16 an hour for wages. Amazon’s mailing stated, “over $23 average wage,” but the link provided gave no details prior to application.

City comment
Monett city officials have yet to make any public comment on this new employer coming to town.
A request for additional information detailed in the building permit has been made.