Indianapolis Not Chosen For Amazon HQ2 Site

Indianapolis will not receive the gift of landing Amazon HQ2 this holiday season.

Tuesday morning, Amazon officials confirmed what had been reported for days: that the company had selected sites in New York and Virginia to split the so-called HQ2.

Indy Chamber chief economic development officer Maureen Krauss says the bid took several hundred thousand dollars to assemble, but both she and a statement from Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett took pains to point out only private money was used.

“No public funds were used in the state or local level at all,” says Krauss. “It was all done through our investors who invest to support regional economic development.”

Indianapolis was named a top 20 finalist, although most industry watchers considered the Circle City a longshot.

Krauss declined to say how much Indianapolis offered Amazon in its incentive package, in part because multiple options were considered.

“We reviewed 18 sites, we submitted three. The package would have been different based on the needs of each site,” says Krauss. “So you know, we don’t have a dollar amount we would use because there was not a final negotiation.”

State and local leaders say despite not landing HQ2, the bid has helped raise the city’s profile for future shots at large-scale economic development.

In a statement, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said those private-public partnerships are building a foundation for new industries in the city.

"Indianapolis’ place as the Tech Hub of the Midwest may have shocked some across the country, but nothing about our success is surprising to the companies who continue to choose our city as a place to start a new company or take their vision to the next level," Hogsett said.

Krauss says losing out on Amazon is only one loss in an ongoing effort to attract high profile businesses to Indiana.

“While this was a step in that process for us, it wasn’t a final step, it was a chapter,” she says.

In the last few months, Infosys announced it would open a training center at Indianapolis' former airport terminal and Swiss-based Dormakaba announced it would be moving its North American headquarters to the city.