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In September Amazon announced a plan to open a second multi-billion dollar headquarters (HQ2) in North America, and as of late October nearly 240 cities had joined the competition to become the company’s second home. Some hopeful contenders have made outrageous gestures to win the favor of the e-commerce giant. Tuscon delivered Jeff Bezos a 21-foot saguaro cactus, Birmingham placed giant Amazon delivery packages all over the city, and Stonecrest, Georgia offered to give the company its own 345-acre city.
Of course Amazon has its own strict criteria for HQ2’s home including an area with low cost of living, an educated and tech-savvy workforce, at least one million people, close access to an international airport, and more. Despite Seattle fulfilling several of these criteria, it was originally believed that Amazon had firmly set its sights elsewhere. However, Seattle is in the running and local leaders are actively trying to convince Amazon that they can work together to make Seattle the best option for HQ2.
Seattle’s Approach to Winning HQ2
While other cities are vying to gain Amazon’s attention and a spot on its radar, Seattle is focused on reconciling and rebuilding its relationship with the company. According to The Seattle Times Seattle-area politicians sent Amazon an apologetic letter asking that the city and its largest private employer hit the “refresh button” in their relationship. It suggested the company and local leaders create a “joint task force” on issues related to transportation, freight mobility, public safety, the gig economy, and public education.
A representative responded a month later saying, “We propose a roundtable discussion in January at our offices to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for the city and how we can best work together on them.”
Read the full article from The Seattle Times.
