GREENWOOD, Ind. — With just a few days until Christmas, delivery trucks are all over our neighborhoods, and some of the people making sure you get your gifts on time are local entrepreneurs who found new careers during the pandemic.
In an unprecedented year for shipping, it's now crunch time for Christmas.
In Greenwood, the new Amazon delivery station just east of I-65 is bustling, loading up and sending out tens of thousands of packages a day.
"This is our load-out process, and this is how we get all the customer packages onto the van," explained Carie Parks, an Amazon delivery service partner who owns Primetime Logistics.
"This delivery station here in Greenwood opened up just this summer and as you can see, it is working at full capacity," said Amazon spokesperson Jessica Pawl. "We have two loading zones. We have several waves of delivery drivers that are coming through every day, and within 20 minutes, they've pulled in, they've fully loaded their vehicles and they're off on the road."
Amazon hired more than 5,000 seasonal workers in Indiana.
Among Santa's helpers behind the wheel in Greenwood are 16 local entrepreneurs who own delivery service companies that operate within Amazon.
Parks is one of them.
She launched Primetime Logistics in July — starting a new career in the midst of the pandemic.
"We really did get in at the right time," Parks said. "I'm a single mom, and I saw it as an opportunity to provide a great future for my daughter and myself. We're a family here. I know all my drivers by name. They know me by name."
Parks operates like Santa Claus calling to his reindeer on Christmas Eve, shouting out "Be safe!" and "Have a great day!" to each driver, by name, as they pull out of the lot.
Her company has 153 drivers and 86 vans, all orchestrated by this former stay-at-home mom.
"Right now, we're running seven days a week and pretty much 10-12 hour days from a management standpoint, just to make sure that everything gets delivered," Parks said.
Demand right now is unprecedented.
But for Amazon, unlike other shipping providers, Parks said the Christmas crunch was more spread out with Prime Week sales in the fall.
"So we've seen a pretty steady demand from Prime Week in October until now," Parks said. "We know we have a job to get done, and we get it done."
She'll be busy rolling out gifts right through Christmas. Amazon said they'll make it by Christmas, even if you really procrastinate.
"You can order today and do overnight delivery to receive packages in time for the holiday," Pawl said.