Why Amazon HQ2 Should Choose Washington, DC

The race for Amazon HQ2 included Washington, DC. on their final top 20 list of contestants. The region is highly business-friendly and offers a selection of advanced talents. There seems to be a perk in the Washington area as opposed to other regions. Deputy Mayor, Brian T. Kenner, for the Planning and Economic Development in Washington, emphasized the city’s immensely educated workforce, public transportation and thriving neighborhoods. Washington exceeds the criteria of what Amazon is searching for. The state perhaps offer more than what is requested.

Amazon announced that they are developing a second headquarter of up to 8 million square feet in order to accommodate 50,000 workers. Washington exceeds this request by filling up the offer with 5 potential locations. One proposal includes properties on both sides of the Anacostia River, another behind the Union Station in NoMa, and three more offers with one that include putting 8 million square feet completely on Hill East.

Image From Rolling Stone

There are personal factors weighing in with the decision to choose Washington, DC. as the home of Amazon HQ2. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos currently owns The Washington Post, while Amazon’s cloud service AWS is situated in a huge data center in the northern Virginia region. This is a unique opportunity for the busy CEO Jeff Bezo to coordinate his time in order to efficiently manage his business’ in one single region.

Washington made a proposal on relocation reimbursements of up to $5,000 for each employee relocating to D.C. and wage reimbursements of up to $10,000 for each new hire. They also promise a zero percent corporate tax rate for five years and a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 9 percent to 6 percent.

Washington DC possess a range of competitive schools including Georgetown University, American University, George Washington University, and Howard University. The wide pool of potential employees are tailored to Amazon’s search for a workforce. Washington had even created a pitch upon generating Amazon University, where students can pursue a customized curriculum for bachelors, masters, and executive education. This unique offer is at the expense of DC government. The region ensures employment to the tech company. Washington is fully committed to support the responsibility of HQ2.

Photo From Jim Havard and Curbed Washington

Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington D.C. said in a statement, “When asked what’s the best city for one of the fastest-growing companies, we answered: #ObviouslyDC. Making this list reaffirms what we already knew going into the bid process – Washington, DC is no longer a one-company government town, we are a leader in innovation and tech, brimming with top talent and endless opportunity.”

Small businesses and agencies within Washington DC are able share their professional insight to Amazon also. If you are an agency from Washington, and wish to contribute, please fill out this form here: https://ownersmag.com/need-talk-marketing-pr-agencies-amazon/

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