Gary Makes Bid For Amazon's Second Headquarters In NYT Ad
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gary, Indiana took out an ad in Monday's New York Times business section to make a bid for Amazon's second headquarters.
Addressed directly to "Mr. Jeff Bezos, Chief Executive Office - Amazon," the city made its pitch.
"Recently, you announced that you were looking for a new community partner," the ad said, in part. "Conventional wisdom says based on the qualifications outlined in the RFP, I would not make the grade. But that is because you don't know about my natural assets -- my location 30 miles from Chicago at the population center of North America, three class one rail lines, an international airport, the port, a commuter rail line that get people to Chicago in less than an hour and four interstate highways in a state with a pro-business environment. And land? Jeff, I have all the land you need."
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Earlier this month, Amazon made the surprise announcement that it plans to look for a second corporate headquarters in North America. Furthermore, the online retailing giant asked cities whether they might be a prime location, which immediately set a bidding war in motion.
The ad continued, "I am also home to one of the most robust commuter campuses of Indiana University and next door to the commuter campus for Purdue University. But the best part about me are my people -- resilient, eager to work. I am ready to welcome a new business to town -- but not just any business, one like Amazon that will transform me for my citizens. Then our leadership-I have driven leadership; a hardworking City Council with Ronald Brewer at the helm and my Mayor, Karen Freeman-Wilson, a woman who believes enough in my promise that she works tirelessly to lead a phenomenal team to fight way above their weight class."
Freeman-Wilson encouraged Bezos to reach out to her directly by listing her address and phone number in the ad. She also tweeted a copy of the ad to him for good measure.
Amazon said it plans to spend more than $5 billion on the new corporate campus, which it said would be equal to its Seattle campus. The company said it plans to create up to 50,000 new full-time jobs at the location, with the positions providing an average total compensation of $100,000 over the next 10 to 15 years.
Among the requirements, according to the company's request for proposals:
> A metropolitan area with more than one million people
> A stable and business-friendly environment
> Proximity to major highways, mass transit and international airports
> Space for up to eight million square feet for its office complex. Amazon plans to have the first phase completed in 2019 with additional space added through 2027.
Does Gary make the short list?