Amazon HQ2 thread

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Which ever city wins I hope it is ANY city but one that is using taxpayer bribes and offering corporate welfare to one of the largest, most profitable, and powerful corporations on the planet. Big corporations demand lower taxes and "getting rid of government waste" but conversely are the first pigs at the trough when government largess is up for the taking.

As Toronto is the only Canadian city left standing, I am very glad that it, nor the province or Ottawa, have sunk to the level of corporate welfare..........if you want to come here great but were not willing to bribe you to do it. May the best city win but on it's own merits.

Lots of corporate welfare in Canada. There's still time for the province and the feds to team up and put forth a nice incentive package. It won't make a difference. Just sayin'.

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Home boy (from Toronto) speaks:


https://www.wsj.com/articles/mayors-say-no-to-amazon-1517175734?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2

I have absolutely zero issue with a city using tax breaks etc to lure in companies. I do however think the Feds doing this would be an issue as it benefits someone in Iowa zero to have a new corporate office in California. So as long as these cities or states wish to lavish money on corporations, whatever.

[10023]

I'm not sure the fact that there are multiple finalist locations in the NY and DC metros tells us that much. These just happen to be multi-nodal metro areas (and among the biggest).

LA is the only other city I'm aware of that had multiple suburban bids, none of which were made finalists. But we know they don't really want West Coast. Was there another bid by like King of Prussia, PA that wasn't shortlisted?

Chicago, on the other hand, has one bid for city and suburban locations (not that anyone thinks Schaumburg or Oak Brook will be chosen, but they could have bid separately and could have been finalists).

And Dallas is grouped together with others in a "North Texas" bid, which includes not just downtown Dallas but also sites in Fort Worth, Irving, Plano and Frisco. If they had bid separately then who knows, there might have been two finalists in that metro area.

Add to that the dynamic of being able to pit multiple state governments against each other in the same market (meaning that they need to differentiate themselves with incentives), and there you go.

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by 10023

And Dallas is grouped together with others in a "North Texas" bid, which includes not just downtown Dallas but also sites in Fort Worth, Irving, Plano and Frisco. If they had bid separately then who knows, there might have been two finalists in that metro area.

Frisco technically submitted a separate (and just plain stupid) bid.

[mrnyc]

of course its going to columbus.

if you believe steven spielberg it will be the biggest city in the world per his upcoming movie adaptation ready player one.




however, it seems the people will be living in trailers in the stacks though.

[ScreamShatter]

https://www.biospace.com/article/top-10-best-cities-for-life-science-jobs-/

How I see it is that many cities on Amazons top list are also top regions for life science jobs: Boston, Raleigh, LA, Philly, And NYC and these areas all have access to top hospitals, big pharmaceuticals, healthcare providers, big research institutions, etc. For many, wondering why certain cities like Charlotte (for example) were cut, this could be one of the reasons as amazon may be looking for a location to build its healthcare company near other cities with a healthcare and technology instructure in place today.

One last radical point, people keep bringing up that Nyc has 2 locations. But Nyc is largely considered to be part of Pharma Country which includes NYC, Connecticut, NJ, and Philly (SE PA). So it’s possible that Amazon is really looking at 3 locations in Pharma Country which rivals (and maybe collectively surpassed Raleigh and Boston) as the largest collective research triangle for Pharma, higher ed med schools, and healthcare companies in the US.

[ScreamShatter]

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/amazon-healthcare-company-could-smaller-195650778.html

"Companies that have succeeded in healthcare have largely been those with a background in the industry, Mendelson points out. However, the allure to get into the space has fueled plenty of tech company attempts, especially in the last year. Apple recently launched a feature with its iOS update to allow users to upload medical records and Amazon has already been rumored to be in talks with drug makers.

And stronger technological chops is something the industry needs going forward. Amazon is in a position to provide these measures with machine learning, AI, online communications and other tools needed to make a more efficient and effective system. But it will likely need outside help from health experts, and it remains to be seen how these three iconic companies plan to move the ball forward without industry understanding."

What this translates to me to mean is Amazon will need to be in a market with lots of heathcare/pharma professionals to staff its new business and/or consult with people all around it. If that is truly some of the main criteria for their strategy, I would think that puts Boston, NYC, and Philly in a very unique situation at the top of the list; I only omit Raleigh because I question if its really the best fit based on the RFP, and I omit LA because of the shear number of talent in the northeast in this space is overwhelming and needed for Amazon to quickly source the healthcare expertise it'll need. And if I was betting on quality of life/affordability and whatnot between Boston, NYC, and Philly -- I think Philly becomes much more competitive than many have given it credit.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

If Amazon can't decide between being in dc and ny by now, then they know they need access to both.
they need to go with philly.

That sounds like a winning solution to me.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

https://www.biospace.com/article/top-10-best-cities-for-life-science-jobs-/


One last radical point, people keep bringing up that Nyc has 2 locations. But Nyc is largely considered to be part of Pharma Country which includes NYC, Connecticut, NJ, and Philly (SE PA). So it’s possible that Amazon is really looking at 3 locations in Pharma Country which rivals (and maybe collectively surpassed Raleigh and Boston) as the largest collective research triangle for Pharma, higher ed med schools, and healthcare companies in the US.

Philly and/or NY would offer access to this being so close to NJ. My county, the one I reside in, is the Pharma capital of the region. Johnson Johnson, Merk, Roche, Ortho, Lilly... all like 5 minutes from my house. Merk is in the same town as me.

If they are going or looking into the pharma industry, Philly or NY start to sound like top 5 candidates to me.

NJ having the big players in the industry. Somerset County being 40-45 miles from NYC and 55-60 miles or so to Philly. Pretty close to almost being equidistant.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Philly and/or NY would offer access to this being so close to NJ. My county, the one I reside in, is the Pharma capital of the region. Johnson Johnson, Merk, Roche, Ortho, Lilly... all like 5 minutes from my house. Merk is in the same town as me.

If they are going or looking into the pharma industry, Philly or NY start to sound like top 5 candidates to me.

NJ having the big players in the industry. Somerset County being 40-45 miles from NYC and 55-60 miles or so to Philly. Pretty close to almost being equidistant.

Bingo. If pharma or healthcare services, in general, is the direction Amazon is going -- I think Philly, NYC, Newark, and Boston become the top 4 just because of the immediate need to source healthcare talent as quickly as possible and also be surrounded by research university academics to consult with.

I really think Philly is very uniquely positioned though in the case of pharma expansion. It's location, cost of living, proximity to healthcare professionals, and academic research hospitals give it a competitive advantage (for once in a lifetime).

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Bingo. If pharma or healthcare services, in general, is the direction Amazon is going -- I think Philly, NYC, Newark, and Boston become the top 4 just because of the immediate need to source healthcare talent as quickly as possible and also be surrounded by research university academics to consult with.

I really think Philly is very uniquely positioned though in the case of pharma expansion. It's location, cost of living, proximity to healthcare professionals, and academic research hospitals give it a competitive advantage (for once in a lifetime).

There are multiple academic medical institutions in and around DC: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Howard, Georgetown and George Washington in DC (or its inner suburbs), Johns Hopkins and U. Maryland in nearby Baltimore, U. VA not far in Charlottesville. But more importantly, being in or near DC clearly (because so many companies do it) is an advantage in influencing health care and other policy.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

There are multiple academic medical institutions in and around DC: Howard, Georgetown and George Washington in DC, Johns Hpikins and U. Maryland in nearby Baltimore. But more importantly, being in or near DC clearly (because so many comanies do it) an advantage in influencing health care and other policy.

Of course. Not inferring that DC isn't competitive. Heck, Atlanta has Emory and GT. Chicago has NW and UofC. LA has USC and UCLA. Nashville has Vanderbilt. Raleigh has Duke, UNC, etc. Most all the cities on the list have access to research universities with large hospitals.

The one thing I'll say about DC is that it isn't quite as strong with this kind of talent infrastructure as Philly, NYC, and Boston; they are just in a different level with J&J, Amerisource Bergin, Dupont, Merek (and these are just the ones around Philly). When you factor in education research schools in NYC, Philly, and Boston -- it's just a different level from anywhere else in the US. Not taking anything away from other cities -- just saying why I think those 4 cities might be in the strongest position if the Pharma/Meds strategy is true.

[chris08876]

There's a whole bunch of criteria with Amazon. DC is definitely a strong candidate.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Raleigh has Duke, UNC, etc.

Hmm. I guess I was utterly confused for 4 years, thinking I was in Durham, not Raleigh.

But when it comes to medical infrastructure, aside from Duke and UNC (and nearby Wake Forest) med schools, that area has Research Triangle Park where the following firms actually do their research:

Here are the Top 10 Employers in RTP:
IBM Corporation.
Cisco Systems, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline.
Fidelity Investments.
RTI International.
Credit Suisse.
Lenovo.
NetApp, Inc.

https://www.google.com/search?client=saf...iangle+Park+businesses&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

And in the DC-Baltimore region, Hopkins year after year gets more federal research dollars than any other school as well as having a top 5 medical center, every bit the equal of anything in the 3 cities you mentioned.

I honestly think you are hyping the attractions of Philadelphia a bit (and I say that as someone who nearly went to Penn). It's a strong candidate but not so superior in the category of academic health care and health care R&D as you suggest.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Bingo. If pharma or healthcare services, in general, is the direction Amazon is going -- I think Philly, NYC, Newark, and Boston become the top 4 just because of the immediate need to source healthcare talent as quickly as possible and also be surrounded by research university academics to consult with.

I really think Philly is very uniquely positioned though in the case of pharma expansion. It's location, cost of living, proximity to healthcare professionals, and academic research hospitals give it a competitive advantage (for once in a lifetime).

^A post that reflects little knowledge of what Amazon is really doing.

Your healthcare "talent" is really just about researchers, biomed, doctors, PhD, etc.

What Amazon is trying to do is crack into the business and scaling of healthcare delivery. That's more about insurance, scale, and administration. Chicago's specialties (but really, you just need people in suits and ties to pull this kind of stuff off, and a lot of clout in DC). So the D.C. area sounds ever more appealing.

[chris08876]

Which is a quick flight away from NY or Philly...

You don't need to be close to DC to have political and legislative change or influence ability. If this was 1812, where it would take days to get there, and people would die on the way there potentially, I could understand being close to the capital, but in this day and age, airplanes exist. And technology might I add. Things like email or video conference and so on.

[bnk]

Amazon will be split up or spun off if they get into pharma

That’s too big of a pie for any one company

The feds won’t allow one company to be spread so wide

See the baby bells as an example

Even if they push hard on this they are still years away to getting approval for drones to send your meds to your doorstep

Drugs are not like general consumer items


They are highly regulated especially controlled drugs.


I can’t see one company doing everything they want at one go

They can spend billions of dollars in lobbying but the other side will not step aside quietly, they have their own lobbyists that are likely stronger than what amazon can muster at this point


If they do get into rx’s It’s going to take more than a few years even if they can break into that massive market

[chris08876]

The potential market share war could result in lower prices. I was kinda wondering about the monopoly aspect of the idea. The consumers may benefit from it, but that also holds us at the mercy of Amazon if they become too large.

Rapid growth is always a good thing when it comes to the shareholders, but it comes with its risks. And like you said, this will not be a smooth process. There will be a fight.

Competition can be a good thing, but there is always the greed aspect of it. The convenience of what Amazon offers is great, but the risk is there of them abusing it, and again, the consumer is at their mercy.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Hmm. I guess I was utterly confused for 4 years, thinking I was in Durham, not Raleigh.

But when it comes to medical infrastructure, aside from Duke and UNC (and nearby Wake Forest) med schools, that area has Research Triangle Park where the following firms actually do their research:


https://www.google.com/search?client=saf...iangle+Park+businesses&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

And in the DC-Baltimore region, Hopkins year after year gets more federal research dollars than any other school as well as having a top 5 medical center, every bit the equal of anything in the 3 cities you mentioned.

I honestly think you are hyping the attractions of Philadelphia a bit (and I say that as someone who nearly went to Penn). It's a strong candidate but not so superior in the category of academic health care and health care R&D as you suggest.

I get your point. However, you also made my point for me, Hopkins is literally 1.5 hours from philly by car and 30ish minutes on train. Philly sits in the middle of all the top research and medical facilities. There’s nowhere in this country closer to the most medical, research, education, and big pharma talent as philly, nyc, and Boston. And if we mapped out all the companies within a couple hour drive from a location or connected via trains and transit, I’m willing to bet that philly might have an edge in that area bc of location between dc and Nyc. Combined that with quality of life and affordability and Philly has more of an edge than many give it credit.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^A post that reflects little knowledge of what Amazon is really doing.

Your healthcare "talent" is really just about researchers, biomed, doctors, PhD, etc.

What Amazon is trying to do is crack into the business and scaling of healthcare delivery. That's more about insurance, scale, and administration. Chicago's specialties (but really, you just need people in suits and ties to pull this kind of stuff off, and a lot of clout in DC). So the D.C. area sounds ever more appealing.

No one knows what Amazon is doing yet. They could be going into Pharma distribution for all we know. Regardless, philly has Comcast and countless other technology firms to provide the combo of healthcare and technological sourcing they will need....again, depending on their strategy.