SALT LAKE CITY — A soon-to-be-opened packaging center could position Salt Lake City as one of the top distribution locales in the western United States.

It also has United Parcel Service putting out a call for more than 1,700 permanent employees to fill its massive new $275 million facility at 380 S. 6400 West in Salt Lake City's northwest quadrant.

The Atlanta-based firm, which currently has 4,000 Utah workers, has immediate openings for a variety of full- and part-time supervisors and package-handler jobs. Wages begin at $15 per hour, with full-time health care benefits after 12 months and retirement benefits, according to Ken Cherry, UPS Desert Mountain District manager.

“In addition to good pay and great benefits, including tuition assistance, applying for a part- or full-time job with UPS can secure your future,” he said. “For many, an entry-level job with UPS is a stepping stone to a long and successful career at UPS.”

Many senior executives, including CEO David Abney, started their UPS careers as entry-level employees, he said. Part-time employees enrolled in college will be eligible to receive up to $25,000 in tuition assistance through the company’s Earn and Learn program, he noted.

In 2016, the project received $4.76 million in post-performance tax credit rebate funding from the Governor's Office of Economic Development. UPS may earn up to 20 percent of the new state taxes it will pay over the eight-year life of the agreement made with the state.

Opening on July 23, the facility will be one of the company's largest national package hubs of the company’s global delivery network. Located on the west side of the city and near Salt Lake City International Airport, the highly automated facility will measure 840,000 square feet — the equivalent of 17 1/2 football fields — and will be capable of processing 69,000 packages an hour — more than 600 million annually, a news release stated.

"We're processing most of the West Coast volume out of this hub, so it will be the second-largest hub in the United States," said Carolee Streeper, area human resources manager for Desert Mountain District. "We're in the crossroads of the West, so it's a great location for us to bring the volume here and turn it around quickly and get it back out to the rest of the West Coast and even some of it back east."

She said having the new regional hub located in the Beehive State will be a positive addition to the state's already strong economy.

"We're providing jobs to 1,700 people and they're permanent jobs," she noted. "We're employing more people (and affecting the economy) by driving unemployment in a positive direction."

Streeper said the company has over 400 management positions to fill in the near term, both part time and full time.

"There is definitely opportunity at UPS to come and join the team," she said.

Along with the immediate hiring, UPS will be doing a second phase of hiring beginning this fall for more than a thousand seasonal jobs to help handle the holiday shipping rush, she said. Interested job seekers can apply for these jobs by visiting UPSjobs.com.

Most applicants should apply online, though the company will also be active on social media, she added. Inquiries can also be made by calling 801-973-3766.

The company is hosting a job fair to bring on part-time package handlers, as well as part- and full-time supervisors and drivers. The event is scheduled for May 30 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the UPS Facility located at 2040 W. Parkway Blvd. in West Valley City.

"(For that) we're just inviting people to come down. They don't have to apply (online) beforehand," Streeper said. "They come down, we meet them and there will be plenty of people to help them get through the application process."

The daylong event will include food and music, she said. Attire for the event is "come as you are," she added.