Web giant Amazon announced today that it’s planning to build a second North American headquarters outside of Seattle, sending Baltimore officials into a frenzy to make their home Amazon’s next corporate home.
The online retailer and tech firm is making its future-shaping move into something of a contest for municipal leaders in America’s major cities. The company laid out preferences for its hopeful “HQ2” destination. Among them: The chosen metro area must have more than 1 million people; a “stable and business-friendly environment”; the potential to draw tech talent; and communities that “think big and creatively” in terms of location and real estate.
Mayor Catherine Pugh and Bill Cole, president of the Baltimore Development Corporation, are already working on it, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. Cole in a statement touted the city’s mid-Atlantic location and pre-existing relationship with Amazon, which has a fulfillment center in Southeast Baltimore.
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