urbanSTL

According to the Business Journal, the city with the most Amazon HQ2 local coverage, twitter mentions, Facebook mentions etc is St. Louis.


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Big question for U.S. cities: Is Amazon's HQ2 worth the price?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html

Ann Wagner is my Congresswoman and she sends out a monthly email. Here's her last tidbit, take it for what it's worth:


The secret is out! Amazon is looking closely at the St. Louis region as a potential location for their second national headquarters, which would bring nearly 50,000 jobs to the area. I joined my colleague, Rep. Blaine Leutkemeyer and sent a letter in support of St. Louis, the “Gateway to the West,” as the perfect complement to Amazon’s mission of connecting the world through commerce.

moorlander wrote: ↑

Oct 22, 2017

With Amazon's expressed interest in prescription delivery and Anthem announcing they'll be bringing their business in house, (ES losing it's biggest customer) would there be opportunity for a joint partnership?

Well what do ya know?....

For Express Scripts, a partnership with Amazon could “potentially allow it to recapture lost business, retain its large (Defense Department) contract, and increase volumes,” according to the Leerink report.

Express Scripts CEO Tim Wentworth said in a recent earnings call that he’s open to talks with Amazon. “We’d be interested in working with them.”

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... DBFD838DDD

moorlander wrote: ↑

Oct 23, 2017

moorlander wrote: ↑

Oct 22, 2017

With Amazon's expressed interest in prescription delivery and Anthem announcing they'll be bringing their business in house, (ES losing it's biggest customer) would there be opportunity for a joint partnership?

Well what do ya know?....

For Express Scripts, a partnership with Amazon could “potentially allow it to recapture lost business, retain its large (Defense Department) contract, and increase volumes,” according to the Leerink report.

Express Scripts CEO Tim Wentworth said in a recent earnings call that he’s open to talks with Amazon. “We’d be interested in working with them.”

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... DBFD838DDD

This is interesting, because I think the perception is that Amazon is looking for a clone of it's Seattle tech campus, but with Amazon expanding into other sectors many of the pundits could be totally off. If it is looking for more of a logistics base, or even looking into bio/plant science and medicine, not too many better places than St. Louis. Again the media seems to think they know what Amazon is looking for and they may be totally off. What if this HQ is iust for back office financing and logistics, then St. Louis' cheap cost of business and location, benefits it more than say Boston or even Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta, where 50,000 high paying jobs dumped into them would only send real estate prices through the roof. Adding 50,000 well paying jobs in St. Louis, gets out cost of living closer to the US average, but still very affordable. Landing in some of these booming cities simply creates another Seattle, could you imagine Denver or Austin landing this? Would make those cities that are already at the doorsteps of unaffordable...officially unlivable.

Big development

Listen to this KMOX segment

Nothing Impossible 10-22-17
34:59
AARON PERLUT, of the digital marketing firm Elasticity, via Skype, on St. Louis having more social media mentions related to Amazon's HQ2 than any other city; KAREN WEISE, Bloomberg News reporter in Seattle, via Skype, on how being a company town for Amazon has changed them, and a round-up of the HQ2 bids from across the continent; plus St. Louis County Executive STEVE STENGER, on Amazon's HQ2

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/audio/nothi ... Ceg.mailto

I just want to go on record and say I think we land this.

^And if you turn out to be wrong, then what?

Take us all out to lunch??

whitherSTL wrote: ↑

Oct 25, 2017

^And if you turn out to be wrong, then what?

Take us all out to lunch??

As a show of solidarity against their poor decision, I will not buy everyone lunch at Amazon owned Whole Foods.

jstriebel wrote: ↑

Oct 25, 2017

I just want to go on record and say I think we land this.

As the process winds down until the decision, I have some parting thoughts.

This process I think has finally laid the groundwork for city/county unification and/or foundation of a truly regional economic force. Everyone agreed on the proposal. Can you imagine the last time all the leaders of the St Louis Metro agreed on something? To make it even better- the whole region supports the bid. We don't have STL vs the County or MO vs IL. We all came together for this. I see this in and of itself as a huge victory for the region. We also finally saw what the region really wants: a strong core. I still am processing how St Charles County signed off on a proposal that would land a headquarters downtown.

The podcast on KMOX also gave me the impression that the Partnership and Chamber want to use this model and regional motivation to go after other companies to move here- something I think STL has really not been great in pursuing.

My final area of impression is the verbiage used by leaders who saw the bid. It's not the typical St. Louis "oh hur dur we tried hur dur" or "we submitted 982749270740970247 bids for each municipality hur dur". There is real excitement in Sheila Sweeney's voice when she talks about what we have submitted. Steve Stenger and Lyda Krewson also seem legitimately hopeful that we have a great shot at this.

I really agree. I think we have this.

I won't say we have it, but I do think we have as good a shot as any (assuming the bidding is legit, e.g. Amazon hasn't preselected where they're going and are just milking for tax breaks).

The people who put this together should keep the momentum going and target other companies as well.

Aesir wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

I won't say we have it, but I do think we have as good a shot as any (assuming the bidding is legit, e.g. Amazon hasn't preselected where they're going and are just milking for tax breaks).

The people who put this together should keep the momentum going and target other companies as well.

Right?

It's sad that we finally put an effort into courting a company that we're going to give massive tax breaks to attract. It's the St. Louis way I suppose, though.

Imagine some of these people actually doing their full-time duty of attracting businesses. Or hiring someone to do it. It's like, we could change the city or something.

It’ll be great if they do ‘rounds’ with eliminating regions. I’d honestly love the publicity of just being in the top 5 or 10 of 238.


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bwcrow1s wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

Aesir wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

I won't say we have it, but I do think we have as good a shot as any (assuming the bidding is legit, e.g. Amazon hasn't preselected where they're going and are just milking for tax breaks).

The people who put this together should keep the momentum going and target other companies as well.

Right?

It's sad that we finally put an effort into courting a company that we're going to give massive tax breaks to attract. It's the St. Louis way I suppose, though.

Imagine some of these people actually doing their full-time duty of attracting businesses. Or hiring someone to do it. It's like, we could change the city or something.

I tire of the "if it requires tax breaks, we don't want it narrative". Our region is competing, competing with other US regions as well as global regions. We are competing for people, we are competing for jobs, and we are competing for social and cultural assets. Tax breaks are one of many tools we need to compete. The progressive movement in our city is hamstringing our ability to compete. We don't reside in a vacuum. We have to be cognizant of our competition and use these tools, including tax breaks, to position ourselves to win. In an ideal world the tax breaks wouldn't be necessary, but this isn't that idealist world. There is no white knight, there is no charity. To improve, to become more successful as a region, we have to compete. Ideally, not with ourselves...

robertn42 wrote:

bwcrow1s wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

Aesir wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

I won't say we have it, but I do think we have as good a shot as any (assuming the bidding is legit, e.g. Amazon hasn't preselected where they're going and are just milking for tax breaks).

The people who put this together should keep the momentum going and target other companies as well.

Right?

It's sad that we finally put an effort into courting a company that we're going to give massive tax breaks to attract. It's the St. Louis way I suppose, though.

Imagine some of these people actually doing their full-time duty of attracting businesses. Or hiring someone to do it. It's like, we could change the city or something.

I tire of the "if it requires tax breaks, we don't want it narrative". Our region is competing, competing with other US regions as well as global regions. We are competing for people, we are competing for jobs, and we are competing for social and cultural assets. Tax breaks are one of many tools we need to compete. The progressive movement in our city is hamstringing our ability to compete. We don't reside in a vacuum. We have to be cognizant of our competition and use these tools, including tax breaks, to position ourselves to win. In an ideal world the tax breaks wouldn't be necessary, but this isn't that idealist world. There is no white knight, there is no charity. To improve, to become more successful as a region, we have to compete. Ideally, not with ourselves...

Well said Rob.

I wouldn't say I'm against all tax breaks or subsidies, exactly for the reason you mentioned -- that we have to compete. It's mostly just that this opportunity fell into our laps and we are spending all of this time and effort on trying to court one company.

Alternatively, we could spend the same resources, and time and energy, and be actively looking to court companies on a full-time basis, rather than scrambling for solutions when the time hits. It just makes it look like leadership isn't trying until it makes it headline worthy. If we want to grow as a city, we have to work our asses off, because of that compete level. It's similar to BPV2 -- how is it so difficult to market dynamite office space to where the Cardinals have to poach from another Downtown office? And use a loop hole at that?

BellaVilla wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

I think the articles about the “bad things” that will come with Amazon are not super applicable to the StL region.

Seatlle region, and certainly the city, were in a much better place than StL, by the time Amazon built HQ1.

I was just in San Fran in July and I must say that place is the worst. Don’t get me wrong it’s beautiful and diverse, but I don’t need to ever spend more than a weekend there. The wealthy tech scene creates a lot entitled bitchy people. Rudest service workers in the world. They make the French look like wisconsonians. Seattle and Portland are similar from what I hear.


StL is SO SO FAR away from being like those places. Those towns have hundreds of thousands, if not in the millions for the Bay Area, of super high paying tech jobs. We would need 3 or 4 amazons to look like that.

Agreed 100%. I was having this discussion about one of those articles with a friend, and I've still got this line copied.

"What was once a quirkily mellow, solidly middle-class city..."

Like. Well good for you Seattle. But if you think every city is coming from that place you're particularly out of touch.

BellaVilla wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

I think the articles about the “bad things” that will come with Amazon are not super applicable to the StL region.

Seatlle region, and certainly the city, were in a much better place than StL, by the time Amazon built HQ1.

I was just in San Fran in July and I must say that place is the worst. Don’t get me wrong it’s beautiful and diverse, but I don’t need to ever spend more than a weekend there. The wealthy tech scene creates a lot entitled bitchy people. Rudest service workers in the world. They make the French look like wisconsonians. Seattle and Portland are similar from what I hear.


StL is SO SO FAR away from being like those places. Those towns have hundreds of thousands, if not in the millions for the Bay Area, of super high paying tech jobs. We would need 3 or 4 amazons to look like that.

You went to the wrong places then, I have work out in San Fran every year and regularly extend my stay. I always find the people very welcoming and the restaurant's fantastic.

I currently live in SF. I don't disagree that the price of everything is ridiculous but I've found almost everyone is as nice as the Midwest. A lot of people who like to smell there own farts, no doubt, but still nice. And beside you can find reasonably priced things if you look in the right place, like any city


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^ not bad at all until Greitens' giant face and shrieking voice ruin everything.

BellaVilla wrote: ↑

Oct 26, 2017

Another possible asset for the region that I don't believe I have seen is the drone angle.

Amazon is very interested in pursuing drone tech, right? StL is still an aviation hub with Boeings operations, and correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the NGS house much of the drone flying operations and talent for the US Military? Seems like a good fit to me in terms of talent on that side of things.

Good point.

I'm curious what kind of odds Vegas would put on this whole deal. Maybe they actually have.

Yup, they have, or rather, the Irish have.

http://fox2now.com/2017/10/24/wanna-bet ... mazon-hq2/