EDGE joined with State and local officials to help FedEx Logistics move its headquarters to the vacant Gibson Guitar manufacturing plant in downtown Memphis. The 190,000-square-foot facility will soon be home to 662 FedEx employees – 323 current Memphis staff plus 339 new positions. The jobs will average more than $80,000 per year excluding benefits.
To help facilitate the project, the EDGE Board approved a $2 million cost reimbursement grant, which will be used partially to offset the cost of building renovations.
“It is absolutely critical and a huge opportunity for our team members to have the identity of a strong global headquarters,” Bill Willard, Senior Vice President, Global Support Services and Express Clearance Operations, FedEx Logistics told the EDGE Board. “We’ve been scattered across multiple offices for several years. The opportunity to collaborate and operate all under one roof in Downtown Memphis will help with both recruitment and retention of team members.”
“The importance of FedEx to Memphis cannot be overstated,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said. “With this move, we’re bringing life back to the Gibson Guitar Factory with one of the strongest brands in the world and continuing to bring more jobs and people to our downtown. When this project is complete, we will have four major corporate headquarters all located in Downtown Memphis – FedEx Logistics, AutoZone, Indigo Ag, and ServiceMaster, plus St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“It is great to see FedEx continuing to invest, repurpose, and expand in Memphis, especially in our urban core. FedEx Logistics’ headquarters will add a financial boost and vibrant new energy in a key location in our county,” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said.
EDGE’s participation is part of an overall package offered by the State of Tennessee and the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Center City Development Corporation (CCDC) and Center City Revenue Finance Corporation (CCRFC).