GATES, N.Y. — It’s “all systems go” for the Amazon warehouse in Gates. The project, named ROC1, has been four years in the making and held its grand opening on Manitou Road.

The fulfillment center is the first mile of a customer’s package journey. Inside are not just employees, but thousands of advanced robots. The robots make for a safer, smooth and efficient operation, thanks to artificial intelligence. They can be seen swinging their robotic arms to sort and move packages.

The warehouse employs more than 1,000 people. “To make them aware that hey, Amazon is here, Amazon is coming to Rochester, Amazon is coming to stay,” said Shirley Tarabochia, general manager of ROC1.

Tarabochia moved to Rochester for this very opportunity. After researching the area and chatting with the community, she fell in love. “We’re going to make a huge impact, we’re going to create thousands of equal job opportunities, I said hey, count me in, I’m going to be there, right?” she said.

Brad Griggs, senior manager of economic development with Amazon, praised the working relationship with local officials. “Monroe County, the Town of Gates, we’ve had an incredible working relationship through this entire project, to bring this incredible project forward,” he said.

The starting pay range at ROC1 is $17.50 per hour, with Amazon’s national average starting at $20.50 per hour, plus comprehensive benefits from day one. There is also room for growth within the company. “Like 35 percent of my senior team started at tier 1, hourly associate, right, and now they are in senior roles in less than three years,” Tarabochia noted.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello recognized the hard work of the construction crews. “This put thousands of construction workers that were working on this and they had to overcome too, a lot of challenges around this, and they got the job done and this place is fantastic,” he said.

When asked why she loves what she does, Tarabochia replied, “Because I have the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives.”

To give an idea of the facility’s size, it is roughly equivalent to 46 football fields and stands five stories high. Amazon also has a program to help cover the cost of college tuition for employees who study at some SUNY schools, and RTS has a bus line servicing the warehouse.

The 2.6 million-square-foot facility was expected to open in 2022 but it was delayed for economic reasons. Leaders from Amazon say the facility’s opening will help drive economic impact and sustain the town of Gates and other areas.

A.I. assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News 10 uses A.I.

From the noon broadcast: