7 crazy stunts from cities vying for Amazon’s second North American headquarters
BY MONICA NICKELSBURG on October 6, 2017 at 10:30 am
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Amazon’s Seattle campus. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
With more than 100 contestants in the Great Amazon HQ2 Beauty Pageant, it takes a little more than good looks and a plucky attitude to get the judges’ attention. Some cities are going above and beyond standard proposals to be sure that their pitches for Amazon’s second corporate headquarters are on the company’s radar.
There’s the small town charmer offering to name a city after Amazon, a candidate from the southwest who thought a giant cactus might curry favor with the judges, and the southern bell hoping a big, flashy display will get her noticed.
These stunts may seem elaborate but consider what the lucky winner will be taking home: A $5 billion project bringing 50,000 jobs to the winning metro region.
The deadline for proposals is Oct. 19, which means we could see even more outrageous stunts over the next two weeks. Continue reading for seven of the craziest things cities have done so far.
Tucson: A big symbolic gesture
The City of Tucson, Ariz. wanted to send a message to Amazon: “We have room for you to grow here.” Cards are a bit old-fashioned for a company devoted to innovative new technologies, so Tucson decided to make its point with a 21-foot saguaro cactus, delivered to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Tucson made its point but the cactus won’t find a home in Amazon’s giant new botanical spheres. The company declined the gift, choosing instead to donate it to a museum./photo/1Thx @SunCorridorInc! Unfortunately we can’t accept gifts (even really cool ones) so we donated it to @DesertMuseum 🌵 https://t.co/ZJPQfs44cq pic.twitter.com/Fot06Kgs9P
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) September 19, 2017
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Stonecrest: The City of Amazon
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A Georgia town is willing to name a city after Amazon if it becomes home to the company’s second headquarters. (GeekWire Photo Illustration, Wikimedia Image)
The City of Stonecrest, Ga. has approved a plan to carve out a 345-acre stretch of land inside the town to give Amazon its own city if it wins HQ2. But don’t expect the Amazon executive team to be managing sewer systems and pubilc transportation. The Atlanta Journal Consitution reports that the “City of Amazon” could make a deal with Stonecrest to get municipal services.
It’s a bit of a hail mary, as Stonecrest’s population is roughly half of what Amazon is seeking: metropolitan areas with at least 1 million residents. Plus, Stonecrest will be competing with nearby Atlanta, which is planning to submit its own proposal.
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