Amazon’s second headquarters and its search for another city to call home

When Amazon said last year that it was looking for a place to locate its second headquarters, cities around North America inundated it with proposals. Most didn’t make it.

In total, Amazon received 238 proposals from cities, states, districts and territories — all hoping for Amazon’s 50,000 new jobs and $5 billion in spending. As of yesterday, just 20 cities are left on the shortlist.

The bidding war over which city will be the location of Amazon’s next headquarters continues.

As reported in the Chicago Tribune, Sterling Bay Developers in Chicago have drawn up plans for an Amazon HQ2 that includes a sports complex as well as an entertainment venue at Sterling Bay’s 70-plus-acre site along the west side of the river near Lincoln Park.

Amazon’s unorthodox approach to finding a second North America headquarters seems to be working.

The company announced on Monday that it had received 238 different proposals from cities and regions that want Amazon to locate their office complex in their municipalities.

Amazon’s search for a second headquarters has sent city officials around North America into a frenzy. New York City just lit its iconic skyscrapers orange, the color of Amazon’s logo, to attract the online retailer. Calgary said it would fight a bear for HQ2.

That’s in addition to the billions in subsidies and incentives that cities across the country are offering in exchange for Amazon’s HQ2 and the 50,000 jobs that come with it. Even federal lawmakers who regulate Amazon want the online retailer to come to their states.

Few things unite a Republican stalwart like Roy Blunt and a Democratic firebrand like Claire McCaskill. But the prospect of a political win prompted the two U.S. senators to put aside their differences this week — and practically plead with Amazon to plop its new headquarters in their shared home state of Missouri.

In doing so, the duo joined a growing group of federal lawmakers — from Pennsylvania to Texas — who are actively angling for the e-commerce giant’s second corporate outpost, dubbed HQ2. The new hub could generate 50,000 new jobs and $5 billion in fresh Amazon investment wherever it ultimately lands, at least in the company’s eyes.

Amazon plans to open a second North American headquarters in addition to its original headquarters in Seattle. The retailer promised 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in capital expenditures for the city that proves it has the best assets and incentives.

The floodgates opened.

Amazon is hoping to snag some sweet tax credits wherever it decides to construct its newly announced plans for a second corporate headquarters.

But one of Silicon Valley’s leading representatives in the U.S. Congress doesn’t think the e-commerce company actually deserves them — in his California district or anywhere else.

Amazon announced Thursday morning that it would start soliciting bids from North American cities to be the home of a second company headquarters on the continent, expected to eventually house as many as 50,000 employees.

Amazon said it prefers metro areas that house at least one million people and a strong technical talent pool. Of course, Amazon is also looking for a healthy dose of incentives, including tax exemptions or workforce grants.