Amazon is looking for a new HQ, and Detroit's in the running if we badger our representatives enough (Ann Arbor: school, universities)

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Minneapolis/St. Paul was rejected too. Of the top three U.S. metros in the Great Lakes region, only Chicago made it. That's kind of unbelievable to me. As much as I love Chicago and Illinois, I would have rejected us outright. Our fiscal situation is beyond awful. We have lost a tremendous amount of people, and we continue to hemorrhage. We rank near the very bottom for retainment of college graduates. However, we are arguably the most important logistics center in the United States, and we do attract talent from all over, if only for a temporary stint.

With the 20 finalists left, I really have no idea where Amazon is going with this. Clearly cheap warehousing space and transportation networks aren't as important as we've been led to believe. It's interesting to me that DC, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland are listed as three separate finalists. That might be an indication that Bezos and co. are leaning towards the DC area. Amazon owns the Washington Post too.

Minneapolis really did not make a big pitch. The governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton, said he was against the idea of giving a lot of breaks to new company, while not doing the same for the other 14 fortune 500 companies located in the state. I am not sure what kind of package the state offered, but I am sure it was not as generous as most.

I am rooting for the Midwest though. My sleeper pick of who Amazon will choose.....Pittsburgh. Not inferring that Pittsburgh is the Midwest...its not.

Tech jobs and tech companies create their own gravity. Google, Apple, Amazon, Oracle, etc....have their own reputation and hence gravity to pull talented tech workers. The area does not have the tech talent because tech companies create self fulfilling prophecies by locating in areas that are defined as "tech areas". Companies like the ones I mentioned have the ability to turn locations into tech magnets.

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Not surprised at all by that. Maybe the metro will be in the running for Apple II HQ? I imagine that they will be looking for similar qualities in a metro area though.

The question is.....now that the region got rejected.....what is Michigan going to do about it? What do the people of Michigan want to do about it? Too many people are content with Michigan being a "has been" state. Will the voters approve regional transportation? Will the people......

There are major privately and publicly owned companies in Michigan, like GM, Ford, Quicken, Amway, Meijers etc, and some very rich people. It seems that these companies would by helping to make Michigan a place that the best and brightest want to live, work and play. Its a shame that one of the most beautiful states the the country, and certainly the best in the Midwest, can't get a date, metaphorically speaking. When a beautiful entity cannot get a date......it's likely due to reputation.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Reputation is a big one. As a former Metro Detroiter, people still sneer when I tell them where I’m from. And Detroit has made tremendous progress since I moved away 10 years ago. I still think the revitalization needs to take a bigger hold on the city. There’s still far too many areas of the city that are deteriorated and need to be cleaned up.

Also, public transit is a big opportunity for improvement in the region. Many of the areas in consideration have reputable public transit systems that young techies often rely on to get to work and around town.

I agree with you. It’s one of the most beautiful states in the nation, but its reputation precedes itself. Hopefully, time will continue to heal.

Sorry to hear that news today, guys. But keep up the good progress!

[Nattering Heights]

We dodged one bullet. Amazon is a scumbag employer with a very limited future. We still have the Dan Gilberts and Ilitches wrecking the city.

[brodie734]

Detroit's big issue is brain drain and talent acquisition/retention. The key theme of the finalists is that they are all cities that are already attracting a lot of 20something workers, Amazon clearly wanted to be somewhere that's already a destination rather than have to invest in transformational infrastructure.

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by brodie734

Detroit's big issue is brain drain and talent acquisition/retention. The key theme of the finalists is that they are all cities that are already attracting a lot of 20something workers, Amazon clearly wanted to be somewhere that's already a destination rather than have to invest in transformational infrastructure.

When I was criticizing that 10 years ago, people were telling me “Good riddance”. I guess it’s finally come to catch up, sadly.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

This was a fool's errand from the get go. Amazon likely already has a very short list of locations, and its probably the usual suspects -- NYC, DC, LA, Chicago, etc. They threw this chum out in the water as a tactic to get a sweeter incentives package out of wherever they were going to go in the first place. Everyone else got played.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

We rank near the very bottom for retainment of college graduates. However, we are arguably the most important logistics center in the United States, and we do attract talent from all over, if only for a temporary stint.
7.

What are you talking about?

Midwest Economy | Bill Testa on the Midwest Economy

[Geo-Aggie]

Brain Drain was a thing. Was. In 2017 things are quite the opposite as educated individuals stay where the demand is high and their dollar goes further.

”An in-depth new study from Jonathan Rothwell at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program shows that the brain drain trend is reversing. The study shows the market retaining the most college graduates in the country is actually Metro Detroit.

According to the study, 77.7% of college grads in Metro Detroit stay in the area after they get their degree. Even if you only count four-year institutions, the Motor City sits at 70.2%, which is third-best in the nation.”

Source: Is "brain drain" a myth? Study suggests Metro Detroit leads nation in college grad retention | Michigan Radio

[bunding761031]

I didn't do this until today. But I will predict Jeff Bezos to choose the Washington DC area. International city. Superior public transportation. Highly educated people. Lots of flights. Stuff to do. Expensive to live but may not be an issue. Yes... Washington DC is my official predicted pick.

[Atlwarrior]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Minneapolis really did not make a big pitch. The governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton, said he was against the idea of giving a lot of breaks to new company, while not doing the same for the other 14 fortune 500 companies located in the state. I am not sure what kind of package the state offered, but I am sure it was not as generous as most.

I am rooting for the Midwest though. My sleeper pick of who Amazon will choose.....Pittsburgh. Not inferring that Pittsburgh is the Midwest...its not.

Tech jobs and tech companies create their own gravity. Google, Apple, Amazon, Oracle, etc....have their own reputation and hence gravity to pull talented tech workers. The area does not have the tech talent because tech companies create self fulfilling prophecies by locating in areas that are defined as "tech areas". Companies like the ones I mentioned have the ability to turn locations into tech magnets.

I honestly think Minneapolis could care less about Amazon's announcement with all the football excitement in the city at the moment.