Kings County approved the building permits for the new site this week. The major FedEx terminal hub will be off Highway 41 near Interstate 5 in Kettleman City.
FedEx trucks passing through Interstate 5 and Highway 41 will be a more common sight. Kings County approved building permits for a new transfer facility that will add one-hundred and twenty-five jobs to the local economy.
Jay Salyer, Kings County Economic Development Corp said "These are the kind of jobs that they can easily qualify for and I expect a lot of local folks will get those jobs."
The truck terminal will be on a 47-acre site and will replace the current, much smaller hub located across the highway in Kettleman City, a community in need of jobs.
The FedEx facility would potentially be the largest employer in this town, a farm-working community known for its poverty and high-unemployment rate.
Salyer said, "Traditionally their unemployment is easily double what the county's unemployment is so this would go a long way to reduce that unemployment here."
Fifteen-point-three percent of Kings County's population is without jobs. While Kettleman City's jobless rate is at twenty-seven percent.
Luis Pulido lives in Kettleman City but has a 40 minute commute to work. He's looking for a job closer to home.
"Some people don't even have car to go somewhere else to actually look for a job," said Pulido. "So if you don't have a job, you can't get a car, and if you don't have a car you can't go looking for a job."
Bob Lewis said, "We welcome any businesses that want to locate there, we'll have open arms for them."
Lewis is president of Kettleman City's Chamber Of Commerce. He foresees economic growth with more trucking hubs coming to the area.
Lewis said, "It would encourage other people and other companies to locate there, due to the fact that we're the halfway point between San Francisco and Los Angeles."
A central hub that could attract more businesses like FedEx creating more jobs for a local community.
