Indianapolis Among Amazon ‘HQ2’ Finalists
(Image of Seattle employees courtesy of Amazon.com Inc.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowSeattle-based Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has named Indianapolis one of 20 finalists for the location of a second corporate headquarters. The company accepted bids late last year for what it expects to be a more than $5 billion investment that could bring up to 50,000 jobs with it. Chicago and Columbus, Ohio were the other two Midwest cities still in the running.
The city of Fishers has been partners with Indianapolis in the bid attempt since Amazon released a Request for Proposal last year for the new location. A task force designed to guide central Indiana’s pitch has been created and its leaders were announced in September by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness.
Amazon says its "HQ2" will be "a full equal to our current campus in Seattle." Gary and Hammond also previously attempted to land the massive investment, but were not selected as finalists. The company says Amazon pumped some $38 billion into the city’s economy between 2010 and 2016.
The next steps, which include feasibility studies involving locations and ability for a city to accommodate Amazon’s massive hiring plans, will take place "in the coming months."
The finalists are:
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Boston
- Chicago
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas
- Denver
- Indianapolis
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Montgomery County, Maryland
- Nashville
- New York City
- Newark
- Northern Virginia
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Raleigh
- Toronto
- Washington D.C.
Amazon says 238 proposals were submitted from throughout North America. It says the investment will also be a boon for surrounding communities. The company has not released a precise timeline for the final decision.
Inside INdiana Business will have continuing coverage on the announcement on InsideINdianaBusiness.com.