In a new article released this week, Amarillo Economic Development Corporation president Barry Albrecht detailed why he believes Amarillo is "far from" qualifying to host a new headquarters for Amazon, Inc.
Earlier this year, Amazon, Inc. announced that it would be seeking a location for a second headquarters. The economic deal is projected to cost upwards of $5 billion and is expected to employ up to 50,000 workers. Albrecht said this week that while he feels Amarillo is "far from" qualifying for the project, the AEDC staff ran numbers to see what would hinder Amarillo from achieving such a project.
Albrecht wrote that the company is seeking a location in a metropolitan area of at least 1,000,000 people. Other cities have also developed strategies such as offering gifts to Amazon, installing Amazon boxes and placing ads in national newspapers.
In writing his article, Albrecht said that while Amarillo will "likely not" be the home for the new Amazon headquarters, the event has given Amarillo the "ideal opportunity" to examine its economic stability.
From Albrecht's article, it is unclear whether the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation plans to court the Amazon project. Other cities vying for the project include: Austin, Texas, Birmingham, Alabama, Boston, Massachusetts, Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado, Gary, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Stonecrest, Georgia and Tuscon, Arizona.
