Gov. Nathan Deal said Georgia will launch an all-out effort to convince Amazon to build its second headquarters in Atlanta, a tantalizing deal that could bring 50,000 workers and $5 billion in investments to the capital city.
“I’ve made it very clear to our economic development team that this is a big one,” said Deal. “And if we can get this one, it would be a very big coup for us.”
Amazon triggered a bidding war last week when it announced plans to invest more than $5 billion on a second headquarters to partner with its sprawling Seattle campus. The “HQ2” would potentially total more than 8 million square feet and the firm said the new jobs would pay an average of more than $100,000 a year.
The company didn’t tip its hand on any favorites, though it said it would only consider locations in metro areas with at least 1 million people in a “business-friendly environment” with links to international airports, high quality of living and public transit.
Economic analysts have Atlanta among the potential finalists, and the list of sites that could house the mammoth campus includes downtown Atlanta’s Gulch, the former General Motors plant in Doraville, Fort McPherson south of downtown and even the High Street site near Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody.
Cities and states have until Oct. 19 to turn in the requests for proposals - the company will decide by next year - and Deal said state recruiters were already at work honing their pitch.
“We’re doing everything we can to meet with them and answer their questions and try to give them information on issues they have concerns about,” he said, adding: “We’re going to make a big push to try to get this.”
Read more: Amazon, bring jobs and headquarters to Atlanta; get $1 billion-plus
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