Donnelly, Young Urge Amazon To Choose Indiana For HQ2

Indiana’s senators are urging Amazon to consider bringing its second headquarters to Indiana.

In a joint letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly and Republican Sen. Todd Young say Indiana is one of the best states in the country to do business.

“Our state provides a unique combination of a robust and talented workforce, and effective transportation infrastructure network, competetive cost-of-living, and a friendly business enviornment that has allowed Indiana to be the preferred location for a growing number of domestic and foreign businesses,” the letter says.

Four Hoosier communities have filed official bids for what Amazon is calling ‘HQ2:’ Indianapolis and Fishers in a joint bid, Gary, Hammond and Northwest Indiana. Louisville, Kentucky is also vying for the job.

Donnelly and Young did not indicate a specific Indiana community in their letter. Hammond is home to an Amazon fulfillment center, which Donnelly and Young point to as an asset.

“Indiana is already home to several Amazon facilities and thousands of incredibly capable Amazon employees, highlighting the confidence Amazon has in the people of Indiana and their ability to assist in managing its future growth,” the letter says.

The tech giant wants to be able to develop as much 8 million square feet in a North American city with a metro population of at least a million, a trained workforce and myriad other amenities.

Indianapolis meets the basic criteria – it has a metro population of nearly 2 million people and a handful of sites that fit Amazon’s goals.

Officials say even Indiana’s largest city would be a long-shot.

In the coming years, Amazon plans to spend up to $5 billion dollars building out the new headquarters. It says its existing HQ, in Seattle, takes up 8.1 million square feet of space, employs more than 40,000 people and contributed $38 billion to the city’s economy between 2010 and 2016.

Read the complete letter from Donnelly and Young below:

Sens. Donnelly & Young Letter to Amazon by Indiana Public Media News on Scribd