Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Wayfair Inc., one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home, will create 1,000 jobs and open a new 1,164,800-square-foot facility in Savannah. New jobs will include supervisory, administrative and warehouse positions. Wayfair and its landlord plan to invest approximately $45 million in the project over the next five years.
 
“As the gateway to the Southeastern market and beyond, Georgia continues to attract and retain industry leaders such as Wayfair as they look to expand operations,” said Deal. “By establishing this new facility in Savannah, it’s clear that Wayfair’s leadership recognizes the strength of our workforce, as well as our dedication to preserving Georgia’s top-ranked and nationally recognized business climate. Georgia’s high-performing transportation infrastructure and strategic resources, including our world-class ports system, will help Wayfair expand its distribution network and support the company’s plans for long-term growth. We appreciate Wayfair’s commitment to creating even more jobs here in Georgia and look forward to further strengthening this partnership.”
 
Headquartered in Boston, Wayfair operates offices and warehouses throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Wayfair currently operates a warehouse and distribution center in McDonough.
 
“We are excited to expand our team in the State of Georgia as we continue to scale our logistics operations to support the rapid growth of our business,” said James Savarese, chief operating officer of Wayfair. “The State of Georgia and the Savannah Economic Development Authority have been great partners to us. We look forward to contributing to economic development in the region with the creation of 1,000 new jobs and the opening of a new, state-of-the-art facility in Savannah.”
 
Georgia Department of Economic Development Senior Project Manager Alyce Thornhill represented the Global Commerce Division in partnership with the Savannah Economic Development Authority, Georgia Quick Start and the Georgia Ports Authority.
 
“We would like to thank the Wayfair team for their decision to bring this exciting new development to Savannah,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “For Georgia and Georgia’s ports, this will mean new jobs, additional cargo, and the opportunity to bring better service to Wayfair’s customers across the Southeast and the nation. The Port of Savannah provides fast, reliable and cost-effective access to this growing demographic that is increasingly reliant on e-commerce.”
 
“Wayfair’s commitment to Georgia over the years speaks to our state’s pro-business climate and top-notch workforce,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “From Henry County to Chatham County, Wayfair has been an incredible corporate citizen, and I am excited about the 1,000 jobs it plans to bring to the Savannah community.”
 
“Wayfair’s announcement of 1,000 job opportunities will make a profound impact for the Savannah region,” said Trip Tollison, president and CEO of the Savannah Economic Development Authority. “E-commerce distribution is one of the fastest growing industries in the country and having such a significant announcement of this size as one of our largest e-commerce facilities is exciting. I would be remiss if we did not thank Chatham County voters who most recently approved the Freeport Exemption for e-commerce facilities which will make Chatham County a more attractive location for e-commerce companies.”