Amazon HQ2 thread - Page 75

Sun Belt · #**1481** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 8:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

Incorrect. I have no idea in this case, but airport connectivity is a BIG issue in corporate location decisions in general.

I don’t know, is it?

Charlotte has done ok with corporations and so has North Carolina’s much smaller urban region Raleigh - Durham.

Are these 50,000 Amazon employees in need of a direct flight to a Chinese destination?

Also, if it takes 1.5 hours to get through traffic and security at say LAX, how is that a positive? Returning to the US, customs can be a real pain in the ass at our largest airports.

The big wigs fly out of smaller airports on private jets.

skyscraperpage17 · #**1482** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 8:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

Incorrect. I have no idea in this case, but airport connectivity is a BIG issue in corporate location decisions in general.

I didn't say air connectivity is unimportant.

But my point is every city with 3+ million people has an airport with non-stop flights to major international business centers such as London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc., as well as the cities listed in their RFP. I don't think they care if an airport has a ton of direct flights to places like Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Des Moines, etc. (why the heck would they need to go to any of these locales frequently, and why would they care about connectivity to them)?

skyscraperpage17 · #**1483** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 8:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Lol then you have no idea how much space 500k SF is. That's half the total amount of SF a city like Nashville turns over in a year. No, not e"every city has the space to accommodate Amazons initial requirement in the time frame they desire". That's just absurd when you are talking about some cities in the hunt who maybe have a dozen class A office buildings that are even large enough if they were totally vacant. 500k is hard to find in Chicago right now and we have multiple times as much office space as most of these cities.

Sure they do.

Now the below items may be true:

1. The space won't be ready for them to move right in when they make their decision in 2018 (but that shouldn't matter, as they wouldn't move in for another year).

2. The space may not be in an ideal location (perhaps it's in the suburbs?).

3. The space may not be contiguous or in one location.

But that doesn't mean the space isn't available.

Even Chicago has the soon-to-be-vacant McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook and recently vacated Motorola HQ in Schaumburg that Amazon could occupy by 2019.

mhays · #**1484** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 9:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

I don’t know, is it?

Charlotte has done ok with corporations and so has North Carolina’s much smaller urban region Raleigh - Durham.

Are these 50,000 Amazon employees in need of a direct flight to a Chinese destination?

Also, if it takes 1.5 hours to get through traffic and security at say LAX, how is that a positive? Returning to the US, customs can be a real pain in the ass at our largest airports.

The big wigs fly out of smaller airports on private jets.

It is for some companies, not as much for others. I suspect it's important in this case, including connections to Asia and other continents for both business and recruitment reasons.

Sun Belt · #**1485** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 9:20 PM**

Could you imagine Bezos standing in line in customs?

Customs: “What were your travel purposes in Asia?”

Bezos: “To extract billions of dollars from China to bring back to America.”

Customs: “Ok, step aside sir.”

I doubt he has to go through this.

bnk · #**1486** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 9:25 PM**

http://siteselection.com/cc/illinois/2017/headquarters-activities-chi-suite.cfm

HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITY

November 2017

Chicago is a top choice for corporate headquarters.

HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITY
Photo: Getty Images

by SAVANNAH KING

If a corporation has an Illinois address, it sends a strong message about the company.

For years, Chicago has been the quintessential headquarters location for businesses to establish a presence as a world-class company. Today, it’s not just the metro Chicago region but the entire state that holds a reputation for being one of the best places for corporate headquarters to do business.

Site Selection ranked Illinois No. 3 in the its corporate expansions ranking and Chicago No. 1 metro area for new and expanded facilities. Illinois’s economy is the fifth largest in the U.S. and the 17th in the world. Its central location and robust logistics and transportation network make the state an ideal choice for companies that need to reach their customers and supply bases quickly.

The most educated employees in the Midwest are located in Illinois, with more than 38 percent of the state’s workforce holding at least a bachelor’s degree. The state has a ready pipeline of highly-skilled talent graduating from the more than 200 institutions of higher education in the state.

There are 37 Fortune 500 and 14 Global 500 companies with headquarters in the state. Another 241 companies on Inc. 5,000 list are headquartered within Illinois, not to mention the 29 Standard & Poor’s 500 index companies and the more than 5,600 Foreign-Owned Company site locations.

...

bnk · #**1487** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 9:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

I didn't say air connectivity is unimportant.

But my point is every city with 3+ million people has an airport with non-stop flights to major international business centers such as London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc., as well as the cities listed in their RFP. I don't think they care if an airport has a ton of direct flights to places like Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Des Moines, etc. (why the heck would they need to go to any of these locales frequently, and why would they care about connectivity to them)?

http://siteselection.com/cc/illinois/2017/interconnectedness-americas-logistics-hub.cfm

America's Logisitics Hub

November 2017.

Photo: Getty Images

For companies that need to move goods to market, Illinois offers unmatched connectivity.

by RON STARNER

When it comes to transportation and logistics infrastructure, it’s safe to say that no state matches what Illinois offers.

Five international airports, seven Class I railroads carrying 50 percent of the nation’s freight, the third largest intermodal port in the world, and the third largest interstate highway system in America make Illinois the country’s undisputed leader in transportation assets.

These assets are a big reason why Illinois is home to the nation’s largest industrial market and the No. 1 container hub in the Western Hemisphere. They are also why the state has attracted nearly 300 corporate facility expansions in logistics and distribution since January 2016.

“If you’re looking at being in the middle part of the U.S. and having all major transportation assets, Illinois is a major intersection for the whole country,” says Tracey Hyatt Bosman, site consultant with Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. “From air connectivity at O’Hare and Midway to having the higher-end skills needed by the logistics sector today, Illinois has it all.”

The Conway Projects Database of Atlanta-based Site Selection magazine shows that 288 logistics projects have either announced or opened in Illinois over the past 18 months. These include nine projects announced by global ecommerce giant Amazon of Seattle —

...

...

jtown,man · #**1488** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 11:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Dallas is there. It's clumped together with Austin and Houston. Grade: B- Click the link, it seems to be ranking overall regions like Texas and North Carolina.

In NC, it has Charlotte, Greensboro-High Point, Raleigh-Durham as one proposal.

CNBC used they're own 'top states for business' rankings as a contributing factor for their latest list. Texas and North Carolina are top states, therefore all cities within those states that had proposals are clumped together?? I don't get it.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/20/these-cities-may-win-war-for-amazons-new-headquarters.html

Why would it matter if a state like Texas had a high rate of uninsured people to a company that provides health insurance? The top lists are becoming sillier and sillier.

the urban politician · #**1489** Posted **Dec 3, 2017, 11:59 PM**

Bnk, what the hell is the point of posting that stuff in this thread?

IrishIllini · #**1490** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 12:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Bnk, what the hell is the point of posting that stuff in this thread?

General discussion? It's contrary to the narrative some here try to push.

James Bond Agent 007 · #**1491** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 1:35 AM**

bnk is also flagrantly violating the rules on posting articles.

Vlajos · #**1492** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 1:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

bnk is also flagrantly violating the rules on posting articles.

I didn't know you couldn't post articles. I've certainly done it. No one has ever said anything.

James Bond Agent 007 · #**1493** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 1:56 AM**

It's not that you can't post articles, but you're supposed to limit the amount of the article when you post it.

The rules are right above the Quick Reply box.

"Articles, such as news articles or blog posts, must be posted in a special way to avoid copyright infringement. Information about the source of the article must be given and only the beginning portion of the article text may be posted ...only the first few sentences or the first paragraph of the article (not the entire article)."

I think the Fair Use law is about 100 words.

pico44 · #**1494** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 2:32 AM**

I'm sure the Illinois Chamber of Commerce won't mind.

Come on bnk, at least Muppet puts some effort into it.

bnk · #**1495** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 3:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pico44

I'm sure the Illinois Chamber of Commerce won't mind.

Come on bnk, at least Muppet puts some effort into it.

This

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

General discussion? It's contrary to the narrative some here try to push.

And to let people know what they are up against and redirect the national mindset of Chicago since Obama became POTUS. I like to post facts. Andy anyone think Amazon already doesn't have a short list of less than 5 cities and likely already know who and where it will be is clueless. An to refute "the oh transit isn't that important, any big city has an airport good enough, shovel ready doesn't really mean shovel ready, and the many other talking points" poo pooing on the Amazon Bid requirements.

Those articles were from Atlanta based siteselection national magazine.

Fine I will cut the articles shorter....

http://siteselection.com/issues/2017/nov/amazon-hq2-welcome-to-the-amazon-games.cfm

“No one should be under the illusion that Amazon does not already know the top five places where this will be successful.”
—Mike Bennett, Founding Partner, Avenue Advisory Group.

James Bond Agent 007 · #**1496** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 4:08 AM**

There's this part of me that wants Chicago to get it, but when people like bnk come along and start sounding like a chamber of commerce recording, I almost hope they don't get it.

The ATX · #**1497** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 5:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023

Yes it does. It's not thoughtful journalism. It's quickly produced fodder for low information consumers.

Are you referring to the CNBC website news that seems to be significantly influenced by NBC news or the actual CNBC business news channel? I would agree with you about the website news because NBC sucks. But I was referring to the CNBC news channel. I do a lot of investing, and the CNBC news channel is very informative and the only unbiased option for business news on cable. Fox Business News and Bloomberg let politics get in the way of actual business news.

mhays · #**1498** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 5:48 AM**

They still did little beyond rolling out their standard measures, which might have very little to do with what this particular company wants.

10023 · #**1499** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 11:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The ATX

Are you referring to the CNBC website news that seems to be significantly influenced by NBC news or the actual CNBC business news channel? I would agree with you about the website news because NBC sucks. But I was referring to the CNBC news channel. I do a lot of investing, and the CNBC news channel is very informative and the only unbiased option for business news on cable. Fox Business News and Bloomberg let politics get in the way of actual business news.

I'm talking about both, but particularly the cable channel. I don't think the others are better, but they're all garbage. If you want actual information, read the FT, or WSJ, or subscribe to Morningstar or something that provides actual analysis. CNBC is just a bunch of talking heads.

It was vaguely interesting during the height of the financial crisis, when the world was falling apart and the minute by minute coverage was actually needed. We certainly had it on in the office. But that's like saying the Weather Channel is interesting when a big hurricane makes landfall.

pico44 · #**1500** Posted **Dec 4, 2017, 12:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

There's this part of me that wants Chicago to get it, but when people like bnk come along and start sounding like a chamber of commerce recording, I almost hope they don't get it.

Yeah, Id prefer not to have scroll through articles from Chicagoland Hotel Concierge Monthly.