[NYguy]

https://qns.com/story/2019/02/27/lon...g-amazon-deal/

Long Island City businessman travels to Seattle in hopes of rescuing Amazon deal

By Bill Parry
February 27, 2019

A Long Island City businessman, still fuming that Amazon abandoned its plan to build an HQ2 campus in his neighborhood and create at least 25,000 jobs due to a “lack of collaborative relationships with state and local officials,” flew to Seattle on a mission.

John Brown Smokehouse owner Josh Bowen, a former supporter of state Senator Michael Gianaris and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer who now blames them for Amazon’s departure, met for 2 hours Monday with a top executive at the e-commerce giant’s headquarters trying to rescue the deal.

“Someone has to represent Queens, Mike and Jimmy abdicated their duties,” Bowen said. “We we were supposed to meet on the 15 and I insisted I deserved my meeting.”

An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the meeting took place.

After a tour of the Seattle headquarters, Bowen grew more angry.

“The opposition has portrayed Amazon as some evil corporation but I found them to be exemplary, way more progressive than our elected leaders,” Bowen said. “And now that I’ve seen their facility with their workspace atriums with live trees I want to cry knowing this could have all been in Long Island City. All I know is they wanted to make Queens a powerhouse for the ages and that’s why I went because I want the same thing for my daughter.”

Bowen could have been on a beach in the Caribbean or working on opening his second restaurant, the Mothership Meat Company in Dutch Kills.

“This trip wasn’t convenient for me it’s just something I needed to do.” Bowen said. “And when all was said and done and I asked if they would reconsider he looked me in the eye and said never say never.”

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