Hilary Norton
Anticipation consumes many as Utah GOED and eBay make plans to build a new facility in Draper providing thousands with job opportunities.
eBay, the world’s largest international online marketplace, has teamed up with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to provide citizens with a consistent flow of job opportunities over the past 12 years. An estimated 2,200 jobs will come to Utah in the next 20 years because of these efforts.
“When world-class companies like eBay pledge partnership with Utah, it is a vote of confidence in the economic growth and stability that we are currently enjoying,” Governor Gary R. Herbert said in a news release.
“This expansion is another highlight of the long-standing relationship between Utah and the global e-commerce leader,” eBay Director of Communications Michael Frandsen said via email. Benefits include economic development in the state that will result in new state tax revenue of more than $127,186,975 in the 20 year project plan. Utah employees will also see a significant difference in the average wage salary of Salt Lake County.
Frandsen said all of the jobs which will be supported by the incentive will exceed 125 percent of the county’s average wage including full benefits.
EBay currently employs around 1,500 Utah residents. Company directors see Utah as a positive place to expand and look forward to the asset potential local employees will be to the business.”As we consider potential places to grow and expand, it’s very important to us that our locations have the right mix of talented, educated teammates, a good quality of life and a healthy environment for doing business,” Frandsen said.
Available at the proposed facility will be human resource, finance, legal, sales, project management, technology, administrative and customer support positions. EBay will be looking to hire for part-time and full-time roles. Nathan Gardner, a junior from California in the business management finance program, said he would take advantage of the opportunities presented through this expansion.
“I’d like to do corporate finance for an honest company that would have a good work environment,” Gardner said. “EBay would be a great opportunity,”
Not only does this state-of-the-art facility improve the community economically, it continues eBay’s environmental responsibility as well.
“The facility will reflect eBay’s strong commitment to the environment and will be designed to achieve the high standard of LEED Gold certification,” Frandsen said. LEED certification measures building sustainability held to international standards. Only a few data centers in the nation are recognized at this level, including eBay’s South Jordan data center.
