Amazon HQ2 bid

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by shivtim

I don't think Atlanta is anything close to an underdog. We're a powerhouse, clearly evidenced by recent corporate headquarter moves and expansions (especially in the tech and healthcare industries). An underdog city when it comes to chasing after corporate jobs would be something like Oklahoma City. But I agree with the poster that said Atlanta should be focusing on growing our existing companies and focusing on our urban experience rather than chasing after companies with billion dollar tax breaks.

I'm not specifically referring to Atlanta, but any places other than the current "IT" cities or cities that already "have it all" (NYC, DC, etc.).

OKC is a good example. So is Pittsburgh.

[DNR]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

To be clear, I'm happy for Austin. It's just that these beauty pageant get old really quickly when it's the same ones who win every time. I'd rather they kept these things secret if that's how it will always play out and stop with the public announcements.

For once, it would be nice to see an underdog to win win these charades.

I am trying to be happy for Austin...really I am...but dang... Dallas, Houston & Austin ( and other Texas cities) seem to dominate so many lists, I feel like saying "spread the love" a little.

It seems like so many people underestimate Atlanta - west coast especially.

Just look at MLS and how surprised they were that this "Southern" city could be a success regarding Soccer - of course, I think even Atlanta was a little surprised.

I also watch these LA & NY centric actors and directors that come to town and talk about how surprised they are about Atlanta and all it has to offer.

We, as a city, either need to do a better job of getting the word out or these people need to get their heads...out of the sand.

I'm finished now.
Sorry, I must still be sour over this Amazon thing.
Anybody know a good therapist?

[Jetlanta]

It seems like Atlanta's niche is leveraging its tech credentials with its traditional corporate strength. So, while we aren't getting Amazon and Apple, we are getting Anthem, Honeywell, Accenture, etc... These companies also need tech talent but they won't compete as well in the big tech markets. So let them come here.

One of Atlanta's great strengths is its economic diversity. Still great jobs, still great growth.

[N90]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

Good for all the cities that have more jobs on the way. Pittsburgh has a decent robotics and medical tech scene going on. I wonder if Apple will go in near Bakery Square (where Google is located).

As for the Austin campus, and i'm sure people will kill me for turning my nose up at thousands of jobs, but I'd really only want that in Atlanta if they were to concentrate development near the urban core. The north Austin campus is already out 13 miles from downtown and they're expanding a mile nearby the existing campus. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have all those jobs in Atlanta, I just prefer creating a vibrant urban community rather than these corporate campus enclaves the tech giants keep creating.

Most tech companies in Austin are expanding in downtown Austin. Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, Indeed, VG developers are all together leasing millions of square feet of office space in DT in currently under construction or proposed buildings that are in site prep stages. The skyline is expanding like weeds and Austin's in line to get some new tallest towers in DT because of it, taller than anything in the city now. Tech companies are a third of DT Austin's office space and the biggest drivers in absorption.

Apple and Oracle are doing suburban expansions in Austin but I still like the high pay tech jobs they provide Austin's economy. They're the prize possessions of this announcement. Apple's new campus of 15k jobs is still 15k jobs and that's on top of Apple's 6.2k employees already in Austin. Apple is Austin metros biggest employer now. It seems that Apple prefers suburban campuses, their HQ in Silicon Valley is a suburban campus.

Austin has the fastest growing economy in the US and it's economy is booming both in the urban core and suburbs of the city. The urban core is being built up as quickly as the burbs are. And DT Austin's entering its biggest boom cycle ever, which is saying a lot because DT ATX has been in a perpetual boom since the 90s.

I moved from the ATX but I live in the ATL now, so I know both cities

[AlwaysMoving]

This is from Apple's press release:

Apple plans to grow its employee base in regions across the United States over the next three years, expanding to over 1,000 employees in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City each, and adding hundreds of new jobs in Pittsburgh, New York, Boulder, Boston and Portland, Oregon. The company recently opened its newest office in Nashville, Tennessee and Apple’s Miami office is projected to double in size.

The second place cities all look to be growing to about 1000 total employees, but for some reason Apple chose to make it sound like the big growth is in Seattle, SD, and Culver City (LA). Maybe I'm reading to much into PR speak, but I thought it was odd.

Also, Apple won't even say how many people they currently employ in Boulder. http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-business/ci_32328657/apple-add-hundreds-jobs-boulder

[montydawg]

It appears they choose traditionally liberal strongholds, and added Nashville, because it's a cool trendy city. I think Atlanta's mix of republicans, rap, and strip clubs may be 'too much' for those in California who have never visited.
Atlanta does not get a lot of the positive press in national media that other cities get.

The fact that they also choose suburban locations for their offices tells me there is a different mindset going on in their office selection. It appears their NYC office is near Washington square (NYU), but that houses their retail headquarters. It appears their other offices are suburban, however, I don't know the specifics on every location.

[Sura]

Originally Posted by montydawg

It appears they choose traditionally liberal strongholds, and added Nashville, because it's a cool trendy city. I think Atlanta's mix of republicans, rap, and strip clubs may be 'too much' for those in California who have never visited.
Atlanta does not get a lot of the positive press in national media that other cities get.

The fact that they also choose suburban locations for their offices tells me there is a different mindset going on in their office selection. It appears their NYC office is near Washington square (NYU), but that houses their retail headquarters. It appears their other offices are suburban, however, I don't know the specifics on every location.

Love it or leave it!

[Street Advocate]

Originally Posted by montydawg

It appears they choose traditionally liberal strongholds, and added Nashville, because it's a cool trendy city. I think Atlanta's mix of republicans, rap, and strip clubs may be 'too much' for those in California who have never visited.
Atlanta does not get a lot of the positive press in national media that other cities get.

I'll caveat this with saying I am very hungry at the moment, so take it with a grain of salt:

IMO, Atlanta lacks an "it" factor. It's coming around, but IMO still not there yet. Until Atlanta or Georgia get over that outside perceived hump, I expect we'll continue on our corporate trend rather than the *wow*/*cool* companies. We're still getting plenty of solid jobs. I just don't think the outside world perceives Atlanta as a major cultural destination, despite our obvious growth. I think people come to Atlanta to make money and if they stay, it's because they money is good, goes further, and the people are nice.

[spoonman]

Originally Posted by montydawg

It appears they choose traditionally liberal strongholds, and added Nashville, because it's a cool trendy city. I think Atlanta's mix of republicans, rap, and strip clubs may be 'too much' for those in California who have never visited.
Atlanta does not get a lot of the positive press in national media that other cities get.

The fact that they also choose suburban locations for their offices tells me there is a different mindset going on in their office selection. It appears their NYC office is near Washington square (NYU), but that houses their retail headquarters. It appears their other offices are suburban, however, I don't know the specifics on every location.

This is an interesting point. I suspect each city (SD/Seattle/LA) was selected for the specialized talent pools in the area. For example, in SD, Apple would likely be looking to peel off workers from nearby Qualcomm as Apple wants to develop it's own processors. Seattle may be more software focused, and LA more content focused...just a guess. Basically this underscores the point that "tech" is not homogeneous. There is a big difference (stereotypically) between engineers developing microprocessors and techies that create apps or artistic types creating media content. All are part of "tech", but are very specialized in their fields. It is just my assumption, but this decision seems to take advantage of these areas of specialization.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

I just don't think the outside world perceives Atlanta as a major cultural destination, despite our obvious growth. I think people come to Atlanta to make money and if they stay, it's because they money is good, goes further, and the people are nice.

I know you offered a large grain of salt, but I strongly disagree with this. Atlanta is rightly seen as the epicenter of African American culture. That is a HUGE deal. Really only DC, Detroit, and New Orleans come anywhere close.

[MARTAisSmarta]

Originally Posted by spoonman

This is an interesting point. I suspect each city (SD/Seattle/LA) was selected for the specialized talent pools in the area. For example, in SD, Apple would likely be looking to peel off workers from nearby Qualcomm as Apple wants to develop it's own processors. Seattle may be more software focused, and LA more content focused...just a guess. Basically this underscores the point that "tech" is not homogeneous. There is a big difference (stereotypically) between engineers developing microprocessors and techies that create apps or artistic types creating media content. All are part of "tech", but are very specialized in their fields. It is just my assumption, but this decision seems to take advantage of these areas of specialization.

This was probably the biggest thing atlanta had going for us with Amazon. With the existing talent pool here, there are plenty of people to poach with experience in logistics and automation.

[Street Advocate]

Originally Posted by shivtim

I know you offered a large grain of salt, but I strongly disagree with this. Atlanta is rightly seen as the epicenter of African American culture. That is a HUGE deal. Really only DC, Detroit, and New Orleans come anywhere close.

Right. So who makes the decision to move companies? Probably the CEO.

Back from March, but only 3 Fortune 500 CEO's are black. 7/10 execs are white men.
http://fortune.com/2018/03/01/raceahead-three-black-ceos/

[L41A]

Originally Posted by shivtim

I know you offered a large grain of salt, but I strongly disagree with this. Atlanta is rightly seen as the epicenter of African American culture. That is a HUGE deal. Really only DC, Detroit, and New Orleans come anywhere close.

Exactly!!!

[jpk1292000]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

I'll caveat this with saying I am very hungry at the moment, so take it with a grain of salt:

IMO, Atlanta lacks an "it" factor. It's coming around, but IMO still not there yet. Until Atlanta or Georgia get over that outside perceived hump, I expect we'll continue on our corporate trend rather than the *wow*/*cool* companies. We're still getting plenty of solid jobs. I just don't think the outside world perceives Atlanta as a major cultural destination, despite our obvious growth. I think people come to Atlanta to make money and if they stay, it's because they money is good, goes further, and the people are nice.

It's not clear to me why the perception of Austin and Nashville is so much better than Atlanta right now in "cool company" leadership circles. Atlanta is much larger, much better globally connected, more cosmopolitan, and diverse than those cities. It has a larger tech talent pool, particularly compared to Nashville. It also has a much better and growing transit system, something Nashville just voted not to expand. Nashville and Austin are also in states that are more conservative than Georgia.

But hey, what do I know. This might not be popular to say but I suspect that part of the reason for the favorable perceptions of those cities is that they're becoming/are havens (i.e. like Portland) for white hipsters more so than Atlanta. They also have somewhat more active city cores (at least for activities that 21-35 year olds enjoy) than Atlanta, but I hardly believe that's the only reason. There's also the fact mentioned earlier that, besides CNN, the national media is really down on Atlanta for some reason. That doesn't help.

[Pemgin]

Originally Posted by jpk1292000

It's not clear to me why the perception of Austin and Nashville is so much better than Atlanta right now in "cool company" leadership circles. Atlanta is more larger, much better globally connected, more cosmopolitan, and diverse than those cities. It has a larger tech talent pool, particularly compared to Nashville. It also has a much better and growing transit system, something Nashville just voted not to expand. Nashville and Austin are also in states that are more conservative than Georgia.

But hey, what do I know. This might not be popular to say but I suspect that part of the reasons for the favorable perceptions of those cities is that they're becoming/are havens (i.e. like Portland) for white hipsters more so than Atlanta. They also have somewhat more active city cores (at least for activities that 21-35 year olds enjoy) than Atlanta, but I hardly believe that's the only reason.

This right here. The biggest, sexiest tech companies, for all of their lip service to progressivism, are very white and very insular. With all due respect to Nashville and Austin, Atlanta blows them out of the water in every way but one: reputation among white millenial hipsters.

[jpk1292000]

Originally Posted by Pemgin

Bolded is the correct answer. The biggest, sexiest tech companies, for all of their lip service to progressivism, are very white and very insular. With all due respect to Nashville and Austin, Atlanta blows them out of the water in every way but one: reputation among white millenial hipsters.

Yup...that's the reason, though I will concede that the bar scene in the downtown/center of Nashville and Austin is better than it is in Atlanta.

[Nanosolar]

Originally Posted by jpk1292000

Yup...that's the reason, though I will concede that the bar scene in the downtown/center of Nashville and Austin is better than it is in Atlanta.

Better than downtown Atlanta, probably. That is not a high bar sadly. Better than Edgewood, Buckhead, West Midtown, and the Eastside trail area? Maybe Midtown as well? Doubt it...

[jpk1292000]

Originally Posted by Nanosolar

Better than downtown Atlanta, probably. That is not a high bar sadly. Better than Edgewood, Buckhead, West Midtown, and the Eastside trail area? Maybe Midtown as well? Doubt it...

Agreed. I believe that in total Atlanta has a significantly better bar scene than Nashville or Austin but the fact that it's more spread out makes it seem less impressive to someone from out of town who gets plopped down on Broadway in Nashville, for instance.

Fair or not, I think Atlanta's downtown nightlife offerings (particularly around GWCC) need to improve to help its national perception in this regard. If you compare the areas surrounding the convention centers in Nashville and Austin, there's quite a bit more going on that doesn't involve family tourist attractions than in Atlanta. Hopefully the revitalization of Underground/South Downtown helps with this.

[Nanosolar]

Originally Posted by jpk1292000

Agreed. I believe that in total Atlanta has a significantly better bar scene than Nashville or Austin but the fact that it's more spread out makes it seem less impressive to someone from out of town who gets plopped down on Broadway in Nashville, for instance.

Fair or not, I think Atlanta's downtown nightlife offerings (particularly around GWCC) need to improve to help its national perception in this regard. If you compare the areas surrounding the convention centers in Nashville and Austin, there's quite a bit more going on that doesn't involve family tourist attractions than in Atlanta. Hopefully the revitalization of Underground/South Downtown helps with this.

You're right. People don't dream about visiting a city for its World Congress Center or Coca-Cola Museum. The problem with Atlanta's brand is downtown. If you're from Atlanta, you don't go there. If you're visiting Atlanta it feels, as a British friend put it to be nice, "sleepy."

I can see how executives visiting for 2-3 days would be turned off having no knowldge or desire to explore the outlying areas.

[crmr298]

That's where the gulch comes in to play right?