Amazon $5 bil co-HQ's in play

[MusicMan]

They are currently housed in 33 buildings in the Seattle campus.

I realize it's a long shot but in the 21st Century anything is possible.

[billy]

Not to change the subject, but why is there never discussion about establishing a Flex N Gate facility in Duval County?

[chipwich]

Not to change the subject, but why is there never discussion about establishing a Flex N Gate facility in Duval County?

Since they make car bumpers, I would imagine that any manufacturing or distribution center would  want to be located close to automotive manufacturing plants- thus they would want to be in upper Midwest or Alabama/Mississippi and maybe a few spots in Texas.

[thelakelander]

What about their headquarters? Also, assembly plants have been opening across the south in states like South Carolina and Georgia too.  It would be more realistic for Jax to land a Flex N Gate plant than Amazon's HQ2.

[JaxJersey-licious]

Where Amazon would place it's second world headquarters would make an excellent poll question if one were so inclined but if I were to put money on it, the "best" choice given what they say they're looking for is Dallas/Ft. Worth for the following reasons:

* Highly-educated workforce more akin to Seattle than say Houston
* Established local AND commuter rail that can be expanded upon
* No state income taxes and favorable business climate (which Amazon says they don't give a shit about but I'm sure the talent they are trying to attract there will)
* Non-stop flight offerings not just across the Atlantic and Pacific but also very easy access to Mexico, Central America, and South America

Other logical options would be Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville. My dark horse candidate: Baltimore. 

[remc86007]

^Nashville? I'd say Jax has a better than even shot against Nashville.

[JHAT76]

^Nashville? I'd say Jax has a better than even shot against Nashville.

Why would you think Jax is above a city like Nashville?

[thelakelander]

Neither one would be considered strong candidates.

[JaxJersey-licious]

^Nashville? I'd say Jax has a better than even shot against Nashville.

For starters, they have a significantly higher educated workforce overall than the Jacksonville region. They also have more HQ's of big-time companies than Jax and commuter rail. Their airport already offers flights across the Atlantic so they would be more capable of handling an increase in international flights. The only thing Jax has them beat is commercial square footage costs but with the need for building much more Class A office space for Amazon that could negate that advantage.

[jaxnyc79]

The NY Times wrote a piece analyzing all metros in the US with 1million-plus people to determine what might be the best city for Amazon based on its search criteria.  Jax didn't make it past the first screen, which required cities with a strong record of job growth over the past 10 years or so.  After many more rounds, the article finally concluded on Denver.

[ProjectMaximus]

There have been so many articles analyzing every aspect of this, it's amazing how much this has captured our country's fascination.

[JHAT76]

There have been so many articles analyzing every aspect of this, it's amazing how much this has captured our country's fascination.

And just like Tesla they know how to keep their name in the news.

[jaxjaguar]

The NY Times wrote a piece analyzing all metros in the US with 1million-plus people to determine what might be the best city for Amazon based on its search criteria.  Jax didn't make it past the first screen, which required cities with a strong record of job growth over the past 10 years or so.  After many more rounds, the article finally concluded on Denver.

Atlanta and Denver would be my best guesses. Both have the talent, density, lower cost of living/purchase and public transit needed by such an endeavor

[I-10east]

So basically it's anyone's guess. IMO the supposed 'lofty criteria to get a company etc' is highly overanalyzed. They said that Jax wasn't supposed to have a NFL team, Super Bowl, certain companies etc etc etc... I'm not saying that Jax is gonna get this HQ, but often it comes down to some big wigs meeting discreetly; something is telling me that some upstart light rail in some city somewhere is the last thing on their minds.

[remc86007]

^Nashville? I'd say Jax has a better than even shot against Nashville.

Why would you think Jax is above a city like Nashville?

Cheaper land and existing base of people with logistics experience. Like Lake said, neither is a good candidate.