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If Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is really interested in understanding what a community is willing to do to land the e-commerce giant's second corporate headquarters location, he should send one of his lieutenants to the Research Triangle Foundation (RTF) offices on Monday.
Research Triangle Regional Partnership, the region's economic development arm that is spearheading the pitch for Amazon's HQ2 on behalf of Triangle communities, is asking some 90 influential business, education and civic leaders to be part of a task force that will assist the group in perfecting its proposal to land the $5 billion, 50,000-worker project. The deadline to submit the request for proposal to Amazon is Oct. 19.
The task force's first meeting is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the RTF offices.
An email obtained by Triangle Business Journal that was sent out Oct. 2 by Ryan Combs, executive director of the RTRP, and John Kane of Kane Realty details the purpose and scope of the task force.
"For the Triangle to be successful in the endeavor, we have to have a strong regional voice and you would be a tremendous asset to our team," write the authors. "We will also open up the discussion on our marketing strategies going forward and look at ways that you could assist in that effort."
Among the business leaders who received the invitation to be on the task force were GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE: GSK) U.S. head Jack Bailey; QuintilesIMS (NYSE: Q) CEO Ari Bousbib; Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) local site lead Jim Captain; Highwoods Properties (NYSE: HIW) CEO Ed Fritsch; Martin Marietta (NYSE: MLM) CEO Ward Nye; former Raleigh Mayor Smedes York; United Therapeutics (Nasdaq: UTHR) founder Martine Rothblatt; and Capitol Broadcasting Company CEO Jim Goodmon among many others.From the education sector, RTRP officials also have invited chancellors from the largest universities in the Triangle along with Stephen Scott, CEO of Wake Technical Community College.
Also, to work the government relations angle with its vast North Carolina and Washington, D.C., network, RTRP wants individuals such as former U.S. Ambassador Jim Cain and former Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce CEO Harvey Schmitt involved.
Because of the size and the potential economic impact of the project, several executives already have indicated they want to help RTRP in finalizing the RFP, according to people familiar with the effort.
While officials are quiet about the Triangle locations that will be part of the proposal, sources say at least eight sites have been identified for the project. That number is expected to dwindle in the coming days following the meeting.
Amazon DOES NOT, NOT, NOT want RTP--Amazon isn't broke, they have a lot of money they don't care about cheap land somewhere. It wants an urban HQ. RTP is a corporate campus hellhole. Amazon doesn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, it wants a downtown location. So that means Downtown Raleigh or Durham--in reality that means Boston or Pittsburgh.
Amazon DOES NOT, NOT, NOT want RTP--Amazon isn't broke, they have a lot of money they don't care about cheap land somewhere. It wants an urban HQ. RTP is a corporate campus hellhole. Amazon doesn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, it wants a downtown location. So that means Downtown Raleigh or Durham--in reality that means Boston or Pittsburgh.
I don't disagree that RTP is just a bunch of urban campuses, but I don't really see why they'd choose Raleigh or Durham if they weren't there. I mean, that's this area's competitive advantage, and it's where the vast majority of the tech companies are. If you want an urban location, you're really looking in the wrong metro area.
I'd say the two big sides in RTP they would try to push are the land south of Cisco/East Parkside/North 540 and the land just north of Morrisville on Davis.
Otherwise I'd wonder if they try and eminent domain the rural land northeast of Cary, along 40.
Amazon DOES NOT, NOT, NOT want RTP--Amazon isn't broke, they have a lot of money they don't care about cheap land somewhere. It wants an urban HQ. RTP is a corporate campus hellhole. Amazon doesn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, it wants a downtown location. So that means Downtown Raleigh or Durham--in reality that means Boston or Pittsburgh.
I agree but I guess it doesn't hurt to try with an RTP bid. I don't see space in the downtown areas for something of the scale Amazon is looking for.
I agree but I guess it doesn't hurt to try with an RTP bid. I don't see space in the downtown areas for something of the scale Amazon is looking for.
That's literally what Amazon has stated multiple times that it wants. Urban HQ. Amazon wants it's workers to commute via public transportation and for its workers to walk to chic downtown lunch spots. Youthful and urban. Not be stuck in RTP where 50,000 workers have to drive to work and eat at terrible fast food places because it's too far to walk anywhere. Truth be told, they will likely choose Boston or somewhere similar. Extremely tightly packed downtowns. Much, much more so than that of Raleigh or Durham and they will spend millions to buy out property to build a new HQ. Amazon doesn't need to find space, it will make it. They want to be another tower in a sky full of them. If Raleigh skyline was someone's hair, it's a comb-over as best. There's so much space.
That's literally what Amazon has stated multiple times that it wants. Urban HQ. Amazon wants it's workers to commute via public transportation and for its workers to walk to chic downtown lunch spots. Youthful and urban. Not be stuck in RTP where 50,000 workers have to drive to work and eat at terrible fast food places because it's too far to walk anywhere. Truth be told, they will likely choose Boston or somewhere similar. Extremely tightly packed downtowns. Much, much more so than that of Raleigh or Durham and they will spend millions to buy out property to build a new HQ. Amazon doesn't need to find space, it will make it. They want to be another tower in a sky full of them. If Raleigh skyline was someone's hair, it's a comb-over as best. There's so much space.
Maybe this might get us our train.
Amazon is not as stupid our legislature and wants good transit not a bunch of poorly planned roads gerrymandered by stupid expansion to carry a load they cannot handle.
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