NEW YORK – Columbus has cleared the first round of cuts among the cities vying for Amazon’s second U.S. headquarters.
“Amazon recognizes what we already know. America’s opportunity city would provide an excellent home,” Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement released by his office.
He listed the region’s trained workforce, colleges and universities and its infrastructure among its advantages.
The online retailing giant, based in Seattle, plans to invest $5 billion in the new headquarters and could employ as many as 50,000 people in and around the city it chooses.
Cities are in fierce competition to lure Amazon, which has revolutionized the way people shop.
“While Amazon has not yet shared with us the next steps, the City of Columbus will continue to coordinate with Columbus 2020 on this exciting opportunity for our community,” Ginther said. “We will compete hard, we will compete professionally and we will be respectful of Amazon’s process.”
The company is narrowing the list of cities under consideration for its second headquarters to 20, with the largest concentration in the Northeast.
“We’re proud that Amazon has recognized that the Columbus Region is brimming with talent, competitive and prepared to serve market-leading, world-changing companies. We’re ready to get to work on the next phase of the process,” said Kenny McDonald, president and CEO of Columbus 2020, the regional economic development organization.
The list released on Thursday also includes Austin, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Toronto, Washington, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Nashville and Newark, N.J.
It also listed northern Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland as potential sites.