Denver gave it a shot. Amazon opted for another dancing partner.
The high-profile and protracted saga that some media outlets simply deemed “HQ2” finally came to an end this past Tuesday. Amazon executives announced that the world’s largest online retailer would be planting a second headquarters flag on the East Coast.
New York City and Arlington, Virginia, each got the nod, with the company’s original headquarters soon to be supplemented by bifurcated second headquarters in those two locales, respectively.
Metro areas across the country understandably competed aggressively for Amazon’s seal of approval, offering varying incentives aimed at securing the corporate giant’s presence. Reportedly, Amazon’s new digs will bring in as many as 50,000 high-tech jobs and spur billions of dollars in real estate investment and construction.
New York City lured Amazon with a billion-plus in incentives. One Colorado news source reports that Colorado offered a bid “north of $100 million.”
All is obviously not lost owing to what that media story terms Amazon’s “snub” of Colorado. To put things into perspective, many scores of other metros nationally also made offers that did not yield HQ2.
And many critics have weighed in over months to spotlight potential downsides for any metro putting in the successful bid. Might too much in incentives be offered for reciprocal benefits?
“We always looked at ourselves as the underdog,” says a principal with the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. He also stresses an upside, namely, that Denver got substantial media attention and national exposure through the bidding process.
Denver and surrounding areas of Colorado will unquestionably be on many investors’ short lists for real investment construction and development going forward, notwithstanding Amazon’s foray elsewhere. The state has an exceptionally strong economy, good government, a highly educated workforce, an attractive lifestyle that draws in business entrepreneurs and more.
Investment opportunities can be discussed with lawyers from an established Denver real estate law firm having a demonstrated record of advocacy on behalf of diverse business clients.