Amazon HQ2

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iamjacobm
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Amazon HQ2

Post by iamjacobm »

Amazon dropped news that they will be looking for a second city for a HQ that would include 5 billion in investment and 50,000 jobs.

One of, if not the, biggest fish in modern development history. Will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
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Brad
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Brad »

Wow, 50,000 Jobs? I can imagine there would only be a few cities in the mix for this?
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iamjacobm
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by iamjacobm »

The obvious big ones have been thrown out. NYC, Maryland/DC, DFW.

Some of the other names that people are throwing out that are smaller than one would imagine for something like this are Austin(Whole Foods), Detroit(legacy city lots of develop-able land) and Raleigh/Research Triangle area(lots of well educated people).
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by nebraska »

I just read this on the NYTimes. I knew you'd be all over it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/tech ... erica.html
The company, which is based in Seattle, listed a series of requirements for the new location, including a metropolitan area that has a population greater than one million, “a stable and business-friendly environment,” and a location that was able to attract and retain workers. The company is calling the development HQ2.
Dear Jean Stothert,

Run to Seattle. Or fly, I will buy the ticket. Go get Amazon!

Signed,
Omaha resident #438210
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iamjacobm
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by iamjacobm »

nebraska wrote:I just read this on the NYTimes. I knew you'd be all over it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/tech ... erica.html
The company, which is based in Seattle, listed a series of requirements for the new location, including a metropolitan area that has a population greater than one million, “a stable and business-friendly environment,” and a location that was able to attract and retain workers. The company is calling the development HQ2.
Dear Jean Stothert,

Run to Seattle. Or fly, I will buy the ticket. Go get Amazon!

Signed,
Omaha resident #438210
I posted in the Elsewhere category b/c of the crazy long shot it is here. I do anticipate the chamber submitting a proposal, its their job after all.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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nebraska wrote:I just read this on the NYTimes. I knew you'd be all over it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/tech ... erica.html
The company, which is based in Seattle, listed a series of requirements for the new location, including a metropolitan area that has a population greater than one million, “a stable and business-friendly environment,” and a location that was able to attract and retain workers. The company is calling the development HQ2.
Dear Jean Stothert,

Run to Seattle. Or fly, I will buy the ticket. Go get Amazon!

Signed,
Omaha resident #438210
Take the Crossroads incentives with you. We're a little under the population threshold. You'll need them.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by riceweb »

50,000 people seems like way too many for a corporate campus. Apple's new HQ will hold something like 14k, and they only have the one HQ.

If Nebraska wanted to pitch to Amazon, I would suggest becoming a back-office HQ in a low-rent, (relatively) low-wages state, home to between 3-10,000 people. Omaha could specialize in corporate IT support, accounting and finance functions, and HQ type of operations for non-core business units. Obviously cost would be a big reason to choose a place like Omaha, but I also think our culture of careful financial management is useful to a tech company that spends money like crazy.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by nebugeater »

In they end they will not build in a citymetro.... They will build there own.

As outside the box as they have been I would not totally rule out something this crazy. This is something a STATE needs to go after for a green space and not a METRO.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by nebugeater »

riceweb wrote:50,000 people seems like way too many for a corporate campus. Apple's new HQ will hold something like 14k, and they only have the one HQ.

If Nebraska wanted to pitch to Amazon, I would suggest becoming a back-office HQ in a low-rent, (relatively) low-wages state, home to between 3-10,000 people. Omaha could specialize in corporate IT support, accounting and finance functions, and HQ type of operations for non-core business units. Obviously cost would be a big reason to choose a place like Omaha, but I also think our culture of careful financial management is useful to a tech company that spends money like crazy.

40K plus working in Seattle for them
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Trips »

Omaha does not have enough Starbucks, bike paths, clean energy or legalized marijuana. The West Farm property would have been a great fit for them as they could build their own community.

Looking at the footprint of Apples Spaceship and it would have fit perfect on either the north or south side of that property.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by nebraska »

Do I dare suggest North Downtown as an area ripe for redevelopment? Just look at all this pretty land (google maps).

Omaha has pushed the idea of an artsy core for awhile, and the area around Nicolas and 12th (Hot Shops, for example) seems about epicenter for a large Seattle-style neighborhood.

Long live North Downtown!
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by jessep28 »

Amazon supposedly has a pretty brutal corporate culture. They will need a large available workforce pool to keep the revolving door spinning.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by MadMartin8 »

"Elsewhere" is a good spot for this one as Nebraska's chances of getting anything close to this are non existent.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by buildomaha »

When I read this Nebraska didn’t even come to mind.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

I have suspicion that Amazon will end up like Sears someday...barely holding on as something cooler takes over.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by bmt »

Today is the deadline to submit a proposal. From the articles I have read that listed cities that were probable bidders, none of them showed Omaha. Which isn't really surprising considering that Amazon is looking for a city with a 1 million + metro area and a good transit system. What is surprising is some of the cities that were bidding like Colorado Springs, Dayton, Mobile, etc. This should be interesting to follow over the next couple months. My guess is that they will end up in Chicago.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by nebugeater »

bmt wrote:Today is the deadline to submit a proposal. From the articles I have read that listed cities that were probable bidders, none of them showed Omaha. Which isn't really surprising considering that Amazon is looking for a city with a 1 million + metro area and a good transit system. What is surprising is some of the cities that were bidding like Colorado Springs, Dayton, Mobile, etc. This should be interesting to follow over the next couple months. My guess is that they will end up in Chicago.

Omaha and Des Moines both submitted packages.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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Re: Amazon HQ2

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iamjacobm
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by iamjacobm »

Every city with a pulse is going to submit something. There are only maybe at most a dozen realistic players though.

NYC, Philly, Boston, DC area, North Carolina, DFW, Austin, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, ATL come to mind as possibilities
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by NovakOmaha »

Think about this: Seattle is home to Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon, Costco, etc. There has to be an amazing war for talent there. For them to succeed they really do need a major city capable of attracting the number of employees necessary. This is not to put down Omaha or any other city of around a million but I wonder if a city the size of KC can reasonably provide numbers like that. I could be wrong.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by bmt »

Interesting comment about omaha having a blank slate. Is there any property that would be more of a blank slate in dt omaha than conagra?
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Taco »

My guess for this is Newark, NJ. The NY Times made a pretty solid argument for them in this article https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/nyre ... rters.html. Most importantly, the subsidy numbers the state gov't is offering is way higher than any others I have seen and they have the benefit of being near NYC without NYC prices for land.

Other options that stand out: Austin, Denver, Pittsburgh, or Atlanta. It would be cool to see them go to a rust belt city, but I doubt they have the type of skilled labor Amazon is looking for.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Omababe »

I'm in Harrisburg this week and they seem to think it's a given for around here.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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bmt wrote:
Interesting comment about omaha having a blank slate. Is there any property that would be more of a blank slate in dt omaha than conagra?
Most of North Downtown honestly.
OMA-->CHI-->NYC
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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Omababe wrote:I'm in Harrisburg this week and they seem to think it's a given for around here.
Harrisburg Pennsylvania? Like it’s going to come to Harrisburg specifically or just that part of Pennsylvania?
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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Garrett wrote:
bmt wrote:
Interesting comment about omaha having a blank slate. Is there any property that would be more of a blank slate in dt omaha than conagra?
Most of North Downtown honestly.
NW of 72nd & Mckinley/Bennington Rd./hwy36, by Lonergan Lake.
.001% chance, maybe.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Garrett »

GetUrban wrote:
Garrett wrote:
bmt wrote:
Interesting comment about omaha having a blank slate. Is there any property that would be more of a blank slate in dt omaha than conagra?
Most of North Downtown honestly.
NW of 72nd & Mckinley/Bennington Rd./hwy36, by Lonergan Lake.
.001% chance, maybe.
I doubt they do a suburban location. One of their main factors was transit access, and considering that they built primarily in Downtown Seattle, Amazon will probably be looking for a similar thing.
OMA-->CHI-->NYC
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by GetUrban »

Garrett wrote:
GetUrban wrote:
Garrett wrote:
bmt wrote:
Interesting comment about omaha having a blank slate. Is there any property that would be more of a blank slate in dt omaha than conagra?
Most of North Downtown honestly.
NW of 72nd & Mckinley/Bennington Rd./hwy36, by Lonergan Lake.
.001% chance, maybe.
I doubt they do a suburban location. One of their main factors was transit access, and considering that they built primarily in Downtown Seattle, Amazon will probably be looking for a similar thing.
Yeah, I agree. I was just trying to think of a big available chunk of land near Omaha. Re-making the former Conagra HQ site DT into something more urban would be preferable, along with light rail connections to Eppley and elsewhere.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Omababe »

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:
Omababe wrote:I'm in Harrisburg this week and they seem to think it's a given for around here.
Harrisburg Pennsylvania? Like it’s going to come to Harrisburg specifically or just that part of Pennsylvania?
Harrisburg in an old hospital IIRC, I'm on the way back now.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by Garrett »

Amazon received 238 proposals from cities and regions in 54 different North American states, provinces, and districts.

Image
OMA-->CHI-->NYC
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by jessep28 »

I wonder what Alaska used for selling points?
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Amazon HQ

Post by OmahaFan »

Omaha has thankfully submitted a very long shot big for the HQ. What’s your thoughts on it and how do you think we can land such a deal? Also I was reading in the Omaha world Herald that Nebraska got passed up simply because we didn’t have a Mega site ready to go (1,000 acres). So any ideas how we locate and get a Mega site like that?
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Re: Amazon HQ

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OmahaFan wrote:Omaha has thankfully submitted a very long shot big for the HQ. What’s your thoughts on it and how do you think we can land such a deal? Also I was reading in the Omaha world Herald that Nebraska got passed up simply because we didn’t have a Mega site ready to go (1,000 acres). So any ideas how we locate and get a Mega site like that?
Blank check.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by OmahaFan »

I think Nebraska and the surrounding counties neighboring Omaha need to collaborate and find a piece of land where They can buy up 1,000 acres to build in sewage ,electric and other components to make the site ready to build on. It would be very enticing for company to come along and see thag. They wouldn’t hassle around with land owners and they could start construction quickly. I read on OWH they are thinking something similar to the Port Authority out on the east coast to manage such a project. Another thing Nebraska faces is the brain drain leaving our state to find better places to be at.
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Re: Amazon HQ

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OmahaFan wrote:Omaha has thankfully submitted a very long shot big for the HQ. What’s your thoughts on it and how do you think we can land such a deal? Also I was reading in the Omaha world Herald that Nebraska got passed up simply because we didn’t have a Mega site ready to go (1,000 acres). So any ideas how we locate and get a Mega site like that?
I think the notion of a huge tract of land reserved for manufacturing our heavy industry is outdated and frankly harmful to the economy and the environment. We've seen in the rust belt the terrible consequences of cities who put all of their faith into one company who pollutes their city, causes sickness and disease amongst its citizens, only to lay off all of the workers and close the plants a few decades later. The city is later left to pay for the aftermath. This is privatized gains and socialized losses.

It seems to me that Omaha should continue to decentralize the economy (like it has been since the 80s) and try to get smaller industries that are clean and utilize our local educational institutions. This includes technology startups, urban agriculture, biotech, renewable energy, etc.
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Re: Amazon HQ

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daveoma wrote:I think the notion of a huge tract of land reserved for manufacturing our heavy industry is outdated and frankly harmful to the economy and the environment. We've seen in the rust belt the terrible consequences of cities who put all of their faith into one company who pollutes their city, causes sickness and disease amongst its citizens, only to lay off all of the workers and close the plants a few decades later. The city is later left to pay for the aftermath. This is privatized gains and socialized losses.
heck, we've seen that in Omaha. ConAgra ring a bell? If we let a large company come swinging through because they promise jobs and money, there's still nothing to keep them from leaving after 30 years.

If we get Amazon, they need to integrate into the community and be part of it. It's better for the stability of their workforce and better for the company because they can count on the community support.
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Re: Amazon HQ2

Post by buildomaha »

I never thought about it like this!

[youtube][/youtube]
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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Little Rock said Thanks but no thanks. :D

Amazon | Love, Little Rock - lovelittlerock.org

A letter and video to Amazon

[youtube][/youtube]
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Re: Amazon HQ2

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https://morningsky.com/omaha/posts/deve ... =hootsuite

Developing Story: Omaha could actually have a shot at winning Amazon's HQ2 project
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