Amazon

[Pete]

The only way we'd ever get a big HQ is if we invest in education and have a highly skilled and well-educated work force.

But we continue to do the opposite.

[stlokc]

Stile99 and Mike_M,

I take your points and agree with them. Actually the MAPS issue is a perfect analogy for what the city ought to be doing. Address the quality of life issues, make this the kind of place people want to live and that is the best possible first step. We have laid the groundwork with the urban development of the last 20 years. The absolute next step is improving educational outcomes and a startup culture where we are growing entrepreneurship and organically helping companies grow. That really is the best long term strategy.

Except: I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to walk and chew gum at the same time. There is no reason we can't do all of the things we know we need to do, while at the same time going through the process with someone like Amazon. Who knows? Perhaps we do that, and fail, and someone at City Hall gets to have a nice long conversation with someone in Seattle about the pros and cons of our bid (isn't that what happened with Ron Norick and United Airlines?) Perhaps they give us pointers, perhaps we learn something from the effort that informs us the next time we take something on.

It's like my mother said once upon a time about marriage and children: "Yes, by all means make sure you have all your ducks in a row, but at some point, you go for it, because if you wait until you're 100% sure you're ready, you'll never be ready." There will always be a reason that OKC isn't ready for Amazon. Other cities will continue to grow and innovate right along with us. We're not going to be the 10th biggest city in America in any of our lifetimes. That's all I was trying to say.

[chuck5815]

You just have to wonder if the location has been Austin all along, ever since Amazon announced the Whole Foods deal. They probably aren't interested in relocating the Whole Foods headquarters from Austin, but they likely need way more people in Austin to properly integrate WF into the Amazon platform.

But quietly moving/hiring more people in Austin won't create a bidding war with lavish tax abatements, subsidies and the like. This announcement for "proposals" just makes you wonder if Amazon is trying to leverage all of the crazy offers to force Austin's hand. And there's going to be some insane offers if Foxconn's Wisconsin deal is any guide.

[David]

The funny thing? This has already happened. United Airlines. What did Oklahoma City do after not getting the maintenance center? MAPS. The Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program. This isn't a new concept.

Heh, that's what I've been thinking about for the last two pages of this thread.

[TheTravellers]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local...8f8fbe035.html

[dcsooner]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local...8f8fbe035.html

A Leader!

[shawnw]

I support Amazon moving here and building 6 towers :-P

[bchris02]

Thinking about this, I think OKC should definitely pursue this. Will Amazon choose OKC? Highly unlikely, but OKC should definitely throw its hat in the ring.

I also think the Olympics isn't a good analogy here. The Olympics are a one-time event and are very expensive to host. Something like an Amazon HQ that employs 50,000 would be a permanent fixture in the community and could propel OKC into boomtown status.

[Ross MacLochness]

boomtown status.

That was my emo band's name in middle school

[soonerguru]

Not to be Donny Downer, but OKC has a snowball's chance in landing Amazon's HQ. 1) No international flights, a prerequisite. 2) Dreadful state government. 3) International reputation as being the state most hostile to public education and higher education, with low college education attainment.

If people want something other than oil and gas and government / military industries, we are going to need to have an electoral bloodbath at the legislature. Given the choice of locating your company in OKC or Denver, where would you go? Kansas City? Austin? Hell, Des Moines, Iowa?

This is not a progressive state. It is a regressive state. It is also suffering from a collapse of funding to core government services, which affects literally everything. Nothing is worse, though, than our reputation of abhorring investment in education.

Smart companies do not choose to locate in dumb states. Oklahoma needs to be less dumb if it wants to compete.

[dcsooner]

Not to be Donny Downer, but OKC has a snowball's chance in landing Amazon's HQ. 1) No international flights, a prerequisite. 2) Dreadful state government. 3) International reputation as being the state most hostile to public education and higher education, with low college education attainment.

If people want something other than oil and gas and government / military industries, we are going to need to have an electoral bloodbath at the legislature. Given the choice of locating your company in OKC or Denver, where would you go? Kansas City? Austin? Hell, Des Moines, Iowa?

This is not a progressive state. It is a regressive state. It is also suffering from a collapse of funding to core government services, which affects literally everything. Nothing is worse, though, than our reputation of abhorring investment in education.

Smart companies do not choose to locate in dumb states. Oklahoma needs to be less dumb if it wants to compete.

I'm on board with this

[BLJR]

I'm on board with this

Agree.

[pickles]

Smart companies do not choose to locate in dumb states. Oklahoma needs to be less dumb if it wants to compete.

This pretty well sums it up.

[TheTravellers]

Your City Will Lose the Contest for Amazon’s New HQ

[GoThunder]

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...w-headquarters

[Anonymous.]

Amazon got 238 proposals. The only States that did not have a city submit anything were North and South Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Hawaii, Vermont, Arkansas.

I must say, looking @ the proposal that Chicago leaked, it is extremely impressive. Complete with breakdowns of the various incentives (totaling near $2 billion!). Various site locations, renderings, how pedestrians and vehicle access each location...

https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/10/2...amazon-hq2-bid

Just looking @ it, makes me want to pick Chicago as the winner. But my gut is saying Austin or Denver - because hip.

[Bullbear]

I would think at the rate Austin has grown and outgrown its highway systems it would be a hard sell due to traffic concerns. but ya never know.

[king183]

I would think at the rate Austin has grown and outgrown its highway systems it would be a hard sell due to traffic concerns. but ya never know.

One of Amazon's requirements is access to public transit. Austin has abysmal public transit, just like us. Traffic there is a nightmare. They are trying to rectify it, but it's going to be a long time before they do.

[tyeomans]

Amazon donated $15,000 to the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. Interesting? I think so.

http://www.koco.com/article/amazon-m...chool/13081038

[jn1780]

I think Austin already withdrew their application which I found interesting.

[OKC_on_mines]

Good stuff, I am glad we submitted a proposal. Now we can get feedback and press forward.

[TheTravellers]

Good stuff, I am glad we submitted a proposal. Now we can get feedback and press forward.

Are we going to get feedback or is Amazon just going to say "Here's the winner (or top 10 we're narrowing it down to), thanks to the rest for playing"?

[stile99]

Are we going to get feedback or is Amazon just going to say "Here's the winner (or top 10 we're narrowing it down to), thanks to the rest for playing"?

If there is any question why we didn't get it, that itself is the reason why we didn't get it.

[OKC_on_mines]

Are we going to get feedback or is Amazon just going to say "Here's the winner (or top 10 we're narrowing it down to), thanks to the rest for playing"?

Good question. I was actually hoping we would. I'm not certain either way.

[Pete]

Facility opened today: