Amazon, online purveyor of just about everything under the sun, is on the hunt for a great location to house its second U.S. headquarters. The digital giant, which calls Seattle home, put out word recently that it would be taking bids from municipalities who believed that they had what Amazon was looking for. Amazon is ready to shell out $5 billion on its “HQ2” project, the end result of which is expected to end with the hiring of 50,000 well-paid workers. Chicago and Philadelphia quickly jumped into the game, followed swiftly by Boston. All these cities have publicly boasted that they have the amenities - space, airports, workforce, economy, you name it - that would benefit Amazon. But how about Northern Virginia? The area definitely hits several of the criteria that Amazon has established as needs for a new home. That’s why several counties in the metro area have submitted their own bids.
Amazon laid out their requirements for a headquarters location, which include metropolitan areas with more than one million people, a stable and business-friendly environment, urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent, and communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options. Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon and Prince William counties are all vying as eligible candidates. Forefront among Northern Virginia’s charms, says Bobbie Kilberg, CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, is the weather. It’s much nicer here than in Chicago, Philadelphia, or Boston.
Additionally, Northern Virginia has tons of land that could be used to build expansive office spaces, the highest educated population per capita in the country, a high number of information technology workers, and great schools and research universities. Kilberg told the Boston Herald that Amazon should also be impressed by the fact that Virginia is a right-to-work state with a low state tax.
Throwing their hat into the ring at the same time as Northern Virginia was Toronto. The Canadian hotspot indicated that the country’s government had a way of fast-tracking visas for highly-skilled workers, which would make an attractive enticement. Amazon already has 2 million-plus square feet of space - a huge amount - in the Toronto area, along with almost 1,000 workers. “Like Boston, we have amazing access to talent with our universities, but one of our secret weapons is we are one of the global hubs for artificial technology with the Vector Institute and the University of Toronto,” said Mark Cohon, chairman of Toronto Global, which is leading the regional bid.
We don’t need Amazon to tell us that Northern Virginia is a great place to work! It would definitely make a great home for the company, and the company would in turn provide a massive boost to the local economy.
