Aiming to prevent that, the Alabama Department of Commerce, the Birmingham Business Alliance and other organizations formed a team that recognized the importance of assisting an innovative, hometown company.

In the end, the Alabama team was able to put together a talent-acquisition and skill-building plan that would allow Shipt to remain in Birmingham and grow its workforce with 881 new jobs.

The expansion comes amid a strategic push by Shipt to add new retail partners and speed the rollout of its marketplace delivery service across the United States. The hiring will increase Shipt’s corporate workforce to more than 1,000 people over several years.

To facilitate its job-creation plans, Shipt will receive support from AIDT, the state’s primary workforce development agency, for recruitment assistance, talent development services and on-the-job training, as well as tax credits under the Alabama Jobs Act.

“Shipt was founded and has flourished in Birmingham, and we would not have reached the success we have today without the continued support of this community,” said CEO Bill Smith. “As a rapidly growing technology company, we feel fortunate to be able to offer an avenue for creating highly skilled jobs within Birmingham.

“With this development package, we’ll be able to deepen our roots in our hometown, helping establish Birmingham as a center of technology and innovation not only in the South, but also within the United States.”