Houston is the most diverse city in the country with a strong industrial base, well-run port, two airports, cheap real estate, several universities, and most importantly: a huge can-do attitude.
Houston should be the home of HQ2 because:
—Support: We have been working hard at establishing a third leg to our economy in tech, with oil and gas and healthcare being the other two. Jeff [Bezos] would find tremendous support from not only the government but [also the] citizens that want tech here.
—Energy: Amazon will continue to need tremendous amounts of energy to power its planes, data centers, rockets, and more. They need to be an energy company that can invest in technologies to reduce their operating costs. Jeff already owns 150,000 acres in West Texas. Houston is the natural choice.
—Talent: Amazon will become the first choice for engineering talent that is looking for an aggressively growing tech firm to call home. In addition to software engineers, they will get access to a skilled field workforce that is already well trained in safety. They can also hire rocket scientists and leverage NASA.
—Business: Hurricane Harvey reconstruction represents a huge opportunity for Amazon. The widening of the Panama Canal enables faster shipment of goods from China. Proximity to Whole Foods HQ in Austin is a bonus.
[Editor’s Note: Amazon’s announcement that it is accepting bids from cities that want to be home for its second headquarters, or HQ2, has already got civic leaders around the country making their case for their cities. Here is the case for Houston.]
