Amazon planning second headquarters with 50,000 jobs

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by getbak

If Winnipeg and Halifax both submitted bids, there were obviously some cities that ignored the 1 million metro area requirement on the RFP. The entire province of Nova Scotia doesn't even cross the 1 million mark.

It indicates in the RFP a "preference" of 1 million. Doesn't look like a hard requirement.

[Mr.Coffee]

I know I am in the minority on this most likely, but not a huge fan of Calgary's public-facing "PR" portion of the bid.

Why exactly are we fighting bears? I'm not certain it makes a ton of sense.

[Azure]

Problem with Austin is all the talent. Amazon will have to pay top dollar to acquire it.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I know I am in the minority on this most likely, but not a huge fan of Calgary's public-facing "PR" portion of the bid.

Why exactly are we fighting bears? I'm not certain it makes a ton of sense.

Maybe Amazon execs are rumoured to be terrified of bears

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Azure

Problem with Austin is all the talent. Amazon will have to pay top dollar to acquire it.

I’m not following.

[MotoRacer]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I really hope we aren't short listed and don't spend another dollar on this. There is zero percent chance of Calgary being selected. If they choose Canada, they're going with Toronto.

Exactly, slim to none Toronto as well.

Why is media all over this like there ever was a chance?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by MotoRacer

Exactly, slim to none Toronto as well.

Why is media all over this like there ever was a chance?

How long do you think it takes the media to whip up a story on this?

[speede5]

Amazon must just be loving this. Wonder how long they will dangle this carrot when they've probably had a 3 city short list before they even announced they were looking.

They could pretty well get some desperate city to offer up every first born child at this point and some one would bite.

Some of these bids wreak of desperation and Amazon is sitting there watching in amusement as we fight for the scraps from their table.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by speede5

Amazon must just be loving this. Wonder how long they will dangle this carrot when they've probably had a 3 city short list before they even announced they were looking.

They could pretty well get some desperate city to offer up every first born child at this point and some one would bite.

Some of these bids wreak of desperation and Amazon is sitting there watching in amusement as we fight for the scraps from their table.

I don't think they're watching in amusement, but probably expecting that whatever offers they get from other cities they can play off their favourite. The short list will probably involve the favourite aspects from all of the bids, regardless of whether they intend to pick them or not.

[Muta]

Man, there's some real negative nancies / defeatists in here with some of these comments. Good lord.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by Muta

Man, there's some real negative nancies / defeatists in here with some of these comments. Good lord.

Agreed.

If they come to Canada, why do some of you think it's a slam dunk for Toronto? Why is it that Calgary has the second highest concentration of head offices in Canada?

If I'm a betting man, I wouldn't put my money on Calgary. I'd probably say it's either Denver, Austin or Atlanta that gets it. Possibly San Diego or Minneapolis. But I wouldn't be that surprised if Calgary won this either. There's a lot that Calgary can offer that those 5 can't. Whether or not Amazon cares, I'm not sure.

[Ozy_Flame]

For those that think the bid was simply a public-facing branding exercise, you're way off the mark. There is little doubt CED submitted a data-driven, facts based document - basically a heavily detailed business plan - to Amazon with projected numbers and forecasting models around costs, land, quality of life models, etc.

I think Calgary alone will be short-listed based on the homework they submitted. I doubt many other municipalities probably did the same diligence as CED.

[Clever_Iggy]

The bid also, continuing to get Calgary as a city to step out on the world stage even further. Somewhat akin to the failed Olympic bids prior to the successful one for 1988. Even if Calgary is not selected for Amazon (which is likely), the process, learnings and exposure participating alone gave the bid group is valuable.

I don't understand the negativity. Realism is fine, but what's wrong with throwing Calgary's hat in the ring and giving it the best effort possible? King got blasted for his half*** CalgaryNext proposal. As for the efforts in Seattle (sidewalk chalk, billboards, newspaper ads) and the wrestle a bear thing, a little creativity or humour is harmful? Maybe, but the target is a young company from Seattle. IMO, at worst, it was a net neutral. The Seattle Times seemed to like it at least.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Muta

Man, there's some real negative nancies / defeatists in here with some of these comments. Good lord.

I think you misunderstand the criticism. Sure, let's throw in our hat. Why not?

What some people are critical of is the extraordinary and unprecedented lengths municipalities are going to in order to attract Amazon. It's kinda dismaying to see the titanic power of these tech giants, and the wild desperation of cities to do anything to appease them. Amazon is one of the most ruthless companies in the world, whose business strategy resolves around undercutting all competitors, exploiting any competitive advantage it can muster, imposing automation at every step, and treating its employees like disposable widgets in a factory. And we'll throw hundreds of millions or billions at them for the privilege of having them set up shop in our region. The bidding war will get so fierce that it may be decades before the 'winning' city earns back its investment.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

The bid also, continuing to get Calgary as a city to step out on the world stage even further. Somewhat akin to the failed Olympic bids prior to the successful one for 1988. Even if Calgary is not selected for Amazon (which is likely), the process, learnings and exposure participating alone gave the bid group is valuable.

This is absolutely one of the most essential benefits of this Amazon bid. It gives us experience, AND exposure, that we can leverage going forward in future pursuits for non-local business. Mary Moran at CED directly acknowledged this last week after the bid went in. I've been saying this since day one of this bid - even making the shortlist would be a win. It is without a doubt that other companies are watching what happens here. Amazon is big fish, but it's not the only fish.

As someone who has put in over 200 bids for projects in my career thus far, each ranging from as little as one day to to as much as one year in preparation time, I can say that you NEVER, EVER half-ass these things. It seems like Calgary didn't for the Amazon bid. I'm fully supportive of the resources, talent and time that it took to put this bid together. It's how you win these things.

[Slava]

I hope that Calgary is successful and it would be so amazing for the city if we were! That said, how hilarious would it be if they selected a city in Mexico as the biggest FU to Trump?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I think you misunderstand the criticism. Sure, let's throw in our hat. Why not?

What some people are critical of is the extraordinary and unprecedented lengths municipalities are going to in order to attract Amazon. It's kinda dismaying to see the titanic power of these tech giants, and the wild desperation of cities to do anything to appease them. Amazon is one of the most ruthless companies in the world, whose business strategy resolves around undercutting all competitors, exploiting any competitive advantage it can muster, imposing automation at every step, and treating its employees like disposable widgets in a factory. And we'll throw hundreds of millions or billions at them for the privilege of having them set up shop in our region. The bidding war will get so fierce that it may be decades before the 'winning' city earns back its investment. And as he has always done, Jeff Bezos will chuckle all the way to the bank.

For a city trying to diversify away from oil and gas and attract non-local businesses (particularly in the tech sector), the Amazon bid is the exact type of opportunity CED should be pursuing. Regardless of one's personal opinion on Amazon as a company, the economic impact of securing such an investment would dramatically change the dynamic of the Calgary economy for generations to come. Our city needs to evolve as the world evolves; this is a potential knock-on-the-door to kickstart that process.

Not pursuing the Amazon bid could actually end up being costlier in the long run.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Problem with Austin is all the talent. Amazon will have to pay top dollar to acquire it.

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I’m not following.

Austin is home to Dell (HP?) and has a healthy hi tech economy. Amazon would be competing for talent and thus wages would be driven higher. Just like what happens here every time the energy industry goes through a large hiring cycle.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

For those that think the bid was simply a public-facing branding exercise, you're way off the mark. There is little doubt CED submitted a data-driven, facts based document - basically a heavily detailed business plan - to Amazon with projected numbers and forecasting models around costs, land, quality of life models, etc.

I think Calgary alone will be short-listed based on the homework they submitted. I doubt many other municipalities probably did the same diligence as CED.

Really? You don't think that other municipalities will have this same data available to present to Amazon? You don't think that CED probably learned their lessons of what information to put into a presentation by going off the presentations of others in the past? When you consider some of the competition, and the businesses that have been attracted to some of the other cities in the competition, you think that Calgary is doing something that much different than other cities? I guess its possible, but in a day where every decision in municipalities is driven by data, I don't think this would be something that other cities aren't already doing.

Originally Posted by Muta

For a city trying to diversify away from oil and gas and attract non-local businesses (particularly in the tech sector), the Amazon bid is the exact type of opportunity CED should be pursuing. Regardless of one's personal opinion on Amazon as a company, the economic impact of securing such an investment would dramatically change the dynamic of the Calgary economy for generations to come. Our city needs to evolve as the world evolves; this is a potential knock-on-the-door to kickstart that process.

Not pursuing the Amazon bid could actually end up being costlier in the long run.

I completely agree. Calgary needs to diversify their economy in a big way. But I also think Calgary should play some bantam and midget hockey before they try and skate in a big league game. I see the benefit of the process, but I would aim for something smaller, like a Giga Factory.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by New Era

I completely agree. Calgary needs to diversify their economy in a big way. But I also think Calgary should play some bantam and midget hockey before they try and skate in a big league game. I see the benefit of the process, but I would aim for something smaller, like a Giga Factory.

A pitch for a whale like Amazon is exactly how you get the smaller fish to pay attention. Calgary most likely won't win this bid, but if it even makes it to a shortlist, you can bet the media attention that will come with it will put it on the radar of other companies.

This was also a great opportunity to sharpen one's skills for the next pitch. This effort was not just about Amazon. This is a long-term play.