PHOENIX—FedEx Ground has broken ground on a selected a site in Chandler for a new 302,000-square-foot, 48-acre distribution center that is scheduled to open in August 2015. 

The new FedEx Ground facility, at the northwest corner of East Queen Creek and Gilbert Roads is part of the company's nationwide network expansion plan in which 11 major hubs have been added and 500 other facilities have expanded or relocated around the country since 2005. The new facility is expected to add 200 jobs and will begin hiring in June 2015.

Michael Vickers, FedEx's managing director of the Desert Region, tells GlobeSt.com: “We chose Chandler because of its infrastructure and the location's proximity to the 202 and I-10; also because of the strong growth in the southeast Valley—it helps us fill up the clock, so to speak.”

Vickers, who is a Gilbert resident, also cites the East Valley as a place with “great schools, fantastic growth and a great place to draw employees from.” 

FedEx Ground has accelerated service by at least one day to more than 70 percent of the United States since 2003. FedEx Ground is faster to more overall locations, including more residential locations, than its primary competitor. The volume of packages FedEx Ground handles every business day has doubled in the past 10 years.