A Successful Bid Would Bring 50,000 Jobs to the Region
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St. Louis area officials wasted no time assembling a team to make a strong bid for Amazon’s second North American headquarters location.
The global online retail giant recently announced its plan for Amazon HQ2, which the company says will be equal to its Seattle headquarters and will carry as many as 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investments.
A regional team of elected officials and economic development executives began working shortly after Amazon’s announcement to coordinate a joint approach to bringing the company to the St. Louis area. County Executive Steve Stenger, Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership CEO Sheila Sweeney and the city’s Deputy Mayor for Development Linda Martinez say they will work closely in the coming weeks to assemble the strongest proposal possible.
Click below for Don Marsh’s St. Louis on the Air roundtable discussion with Sheila Sweeney, St. Louis Development Corporation Executive Director Otis Williams & Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton
“The St. Louis region is well poised to meet the specific needs of Amazon’s HQ2,” Partnership CEO Sheila Sweeney said. “In collaboration with local officials and regional business leaders, we are already assembling a very competitive proposal that will capitalize on St. Louis’ unique assets in order to foster Amazon’s global impact. St. Louis is the best place in North America to do business, and the Partnership looks forward to welcoming Amazon.”
St. Louis’s central location makes it an ideal fit for the e-commerce company. It sits at the confluence of major national river ways, interstates and rail lines. The city also boasts a vibrant tech scene and the major metropolitan urban setting Amazon is looking for.
Landing the Amazon HQ2 would follow important progress being made in the region, like the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s decision to keep its western headquarters in the area. That new $1.6 billion facility will include 3,100 regional jobs retained and 5,200 construction jobs. Microsoft, too, chose St. Louis for its regional headquarters. The project retains 60 jobs and adds 90 more, with a $55 million building by Wexford in the Cortex Innovation Community.
Click below for Sheila Sweeney’s interview in a KSDK-TV report
