Amazon to help entrepreneurs start delivery businesses
On Thursday, Amazon announced an offering to help entrepreneurs build their own companies delivering Amazon packages.
The company said small business owners will be able to hire tens of thousands of delivery drivers across the U.S., and Amazon is pledging to actively help interested entrepreneurs start, set up, and manage their businesses.
The company is also committing $1 million towards funding startup costs for military veterans, offering reimbursements of $10,000 for qualified candidates.
Recently, the company has come under fire from President Donald Trump who tweeted that Amazon should pay the U.S. Postal Service more for shipping its packages.
Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations, said the new program is not a response to Trump, but a way to make sure that the company can deliver its growing number of orders.
"This is really about meeting growth for our future," Clark said.
Amazon said in addition to these startups, they will be partnering with larger carriers such as UPS and FedEx.
"We wanted to empower small businesses to grow with the rising tide of the growing industry of supply chain and logistics, and so what better way than to have these entrepreneurs take advantage of Amazon's 20 plus years of operational experience in order to build their own business delivering Amazon packages," Amazon spokeswoman Amanda Ip told Jonah Kaplan. "Over time, we believe that this offer is going to empower hundreds of new small businesses to tire tens of thousands of delivery drivers all across the U.S."
Amazon declined to comment On Raleigh-Durham's candidacy for HQ2.
More information about becoming a partner can be found online.
