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If they are seriously considering SanFran and NYC, then Raleigh wouldn't be a contender with solar buses, doubledecker trolleys and a door-to-door monorail.
Just showing where we stack up currently in terms of transit access - there are a bunch of mid-tiered cities like us that are ranked higher in that area.
Yea, kinda ridiculous for the Triad. Here we at least have a chance.
Amazon needs to focus on somewhere where it can find talent. They are looking for thousands, and if they are looking for a significant engineering division, they need to go somewhere where they can get top talent. That should be their number one priority, even if it costs a bit extra. They aren't looking for a fulfillment center, which should be able to find employees several places. HQ2 needs lots of top notch employees.
North Carolina is a non starter because our law makers will never pony up enough incentives. Its the same old song and its why NC has lost so many deals to other states. If NC isnt prepared to offer at least $3 billion in incentives, forget about it. That being said, I think Amazon is going to pick a larger city/metro such as Boston, Texas or suburban DC/Virginia. They have the mass transit, population and cosmopolitan culture Amazon is looking for and would likely offer bigger incentives. North Carolina's metros are just not big enough for a headquarters for this particularly company even though all three of the state's big metros barely meet the minimum population requirement. I can see other offices or distribution hubs which NC has to some extent but that is as far as its going to go.
Charlotte would be the best chance for NC because they technically have everything on the list but even at that Charlotte's chance are slim. Despite the Triangle's strengths in the research sector, the region's chances are not that much bigger than the Triad's because neither regions have mass transit which is a requirement and both have roughly the same population. There are many communities submitting bids with even less of a chance. Hickory, NC submitted a bid. Everybody is submitting bids but only a hand full of cities really qualify. Unfortunately they are not in North Carolina. Atlanta would certainly qualify but I have a feeling Amazon is either going to pick one of the big metros in Texas or somewhere in BoWash. Amazon needs 50,000 workers and there is just a much bigger pool of qualified educated people in those areas. The number of workers they need is the reason why they want a metro with mass transit. Also cheap land is not a real incentive. If they were concerned about cheap land or areas less expensive to operate in they certainly wouldn't be in Seattle.
North Carolina is a non starter because our law makers will never pony up enough incentives. Its the same old song and its why NC has lost so many deals to other states. If NC isnt prepared to offer at least $3 billion in incentives, forget about it. That being said, I think Amazon is going to pick a larger city/metro such as Boston, Texas or suburban DC/Virginia. They have the mass transit, population and cosmopolitan culture Amazon is looking for and would likely offer bigger incentives. North Carolina's metros are just not big enough for a headquarters for this particularly company even though all three of the state's big metros barely meet the minimum population requirement. I can see other offices or distribution hubs which NC has to some extent but that is as far as its going to go.
Charlotte would be the best chance for NC because they technically have everything on the list but even at that Charlotte's chance are slim. Despite the Triangle's strengths in the research sector, the region's chances are not that much bigger than the Triad's because neither regions have mass transit which is a requirement and both have roughly the same population. There are many communities submitting bids with even less of a chance. Hickory, NC submitted a bid. Everybody is submitting bids but only a hand full of cities really qualify. Unfortunately they are not in North Carolina. Atlanta would certainly qualify but I have a feeling Amazon is either going to pick one of the big metros in Texas or somewhere in BoWash. Amazon needs 50,000 workers and there is just a much bigger pool of qualified educated people in those areas. The number of workers they need is the reason why they want a metro with mass transit. Also cheap land is not a real incentive. If they were concerned about cheap land or areas less expensive to operate in they certainly wouldn't be in Seattle.
You've got it all figured out. Jeff Bezos must have called you to discuss what Amazon is exactly looking for.
Another drawback for North Carolina, this state is too conservative. Im willing to bet they will pick a very diverse liberal state. And while HB2 has been repealed, it still hurt our state's image. Diversity is another thing Amazon is looking for and thats pretty lacking here compared to larger cosmopolitan cities.
Nobody knows who will be the winner until Amazon makes the announcement. While some areas in NC are more laughable than others, its a long shot for any city in NC which means Charlotte or Raleigh's chances are no bigger than Hickory or the Triad. There is just too much competition and too many cities that qualify that are bigger and fits Amazon's mold better than any NC city/metro. Incentives will knock us out all together, forget about the things that NC doesnt have on Amazon's list like mass transit. Some states are prepared to offer up to $8 billion in incentives. It would surprise me if we topped $1 billion. With states coming out of the gate offering $8 billion in incentives, we might as well take our ball and go home because we'll never come remotely close to matching that. I think Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham will be the only cities in NC to make the first cut which is a process in filtering out cities that have no chance in hell. But in the end, it will likely be a predictable major city that comes out on top. Heck it might not even be a city in the United States. Major cities in Canada are good contenders as well. Amazon executives are too spoiled to the comforts and urban culture of a city like Seattle to move to cow country in the Triad (sarcasm) or the Triangle which is more of a suburban job market and has a cosmopolitan culture and big city atmosphere that pales in comparison to a city such as Seattle or Boston.
Last edited by gsoboi78; 10-22-2017 at 10:01 PM..
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