North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper offered congratulations today to community leaders in four North Carolina locations that have worked intensely within their regions to offer Amazon a variety of powerful choices for the company’s second headquarters site.
“North Carolina is the best place for Amazon’s second headquarters,” said Governor Cooper. “This is a great place to live and work and our team has put together a strong pitch that highlights our high quality of life, universities and community colleges, and ability to attract and grow a strong workforce.
“I appreciate the work and support of bipartisan state and local leaders and our congressional delegation in this process,” added Cooper. “North Carolina is a welcoming state for all kinds of people and businesses and we would be proud to welcome Amazon to one of our communities.”
The recruitment effort puts on display the best qualities of North Carolina’s collaborative approach to economic development, a process that often goes overlooked in the normal course of the state’s recruitment and business retention efforts.
“The recruitment of Amazon’s HQ2 project is unusual since the company chose to publicly announce its search,” said North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Anthony M. Copeland. “For years, we’ve heard executives remark on how refreshing they find North Carolinians’ spirit of collaboration and helpfulness, so I’m pleased those values are getting wider recognition during this particular recruitment process.”
Last month, Amazon announced its intention to locate a second headquarters facility somewhere in the United States. According to the company, the project, dubbed HQ2, could bring as many as 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in capital investment to the winning location. Responses to the company’s call for proposals are due today (October 19).
Four local communities submitted bids for the HQ2 project, each with strong backing from the State of North Carolina. The North Carolina communities include the Charlotte Region, Hickory, the Triad Region, and the Research Triangle Region. The state’s public-private economic development organization, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, has also been closely involved in the process.
All local bids have been submitted ahead of today’s deadline.
The bids prepared for Amazon’s consideration each showcase the State of North Carolina, consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best places for business. The competitive advantages the state offers companies are many, and include a favorable business climate, extensive transportation networks, a low-cost, high-quality of life and a world-class education system.