The Seattle-based online retailer Amazon opened its first fulfillment center in the Greater Houston area on July 23 in Pinto Business Park on Beltway 8. The center opened with 800 employees, but it will employ 2,500 full-time workers when fully staffed, said Ashley Robinson, Amazon’s regional operations public relations manager. Amazon is hiring associates to pick, pack and ship customer orders, said Robinson. The facility will hire hundreds of employees in managerial and support staff roles in addition to 2,500 full-time employees, Robinson said. Robinson said the facility will utilize Amazon Robotics technology, which will allow it to have 50 percent more inventory than a traditional fulfillment center. This also enables the facility to fulfill customer orders within minutes before shipping, Robinson said. The 855,000-square-foot facility includes a warehouse and distribution space on 71 acres at the 971-acre Pinto Business Park site, located at I-45 and Beltway 8. A second Houston-area fulfillment center is currently under construction in Katy.