After the initial flurry of stories about Amazon searching for a second headquarters location, it has been relatively quiet in the popular press though there have been regular updates in the business and economic development press.
As you’ll recall, the project involves a $5 billion capital investment and would lead to the creation of 50,000 jobs over the next 15 to 20 years.
In the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, 238 locations submitted bids. That list has been pared down to 20 finalists. There are 8 cities that get the most mentions including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Nashville and Northern Virginia.
A story by CNBC on August 16 titled “These cities are finishing strong as Amazon narrows down choice for new headquarters” grades the 8 cities with reporter Scott Cohn saying for Austin and Dallas have an edge with A- grades.
Denver was graded as a B+ on this list. Cohn writes “The Mile High City offers many similarities to Amazon’s current home, Seattle. Both cities’ population and demographics are almost identical, and so are their overall vibes. That may not be foremost on Amazon’s checklist, but it probably does not hurt. Also working in Denver’s favor are a strong and relatively stable business climate, a great workforce that is chock full of tech talent, and one of America’s top airports. But Colorado’s strong economy has left the state with severe worker shortages, contributing to the high cost of doing business.”
Population, Stability, Talent, and Location were graded as A+, B+, A-, and B-, respectively. (Editorial note: B- for location, really?)
Anyway, Colorado has shown favorably in the Amazon headquarters sweepstakes, as it should. (Also see this story about Colorado’s economy being ranked #1 by 24/7 Wall Street.)