KC named a top ‘dark horse’ to land Amazon HQ2
January 5, 2018 | Bobby Burch
National media is lending credence to Kansas City’s prospects of attracting Amazon’s second headquarters.
Inc. Magazine on Wednesday published a list of “5 Dark Horse Cities” to land Amazon HQ2, a prospective project that promises to create upward of 50,000 new jobs in whatever locale that nabs the online retailer’s massive new hub.
While speculative, the Inc. piece cites analysts’ thoughts on cities that are “diamonds in the rough” for Amazon HQ2, including the City of Fountains, Sacramento, Newark, Los Angeles and Toronto.
On the local area’s appeal, Inc. writer Zoë Henry first highlighted Kansas City Mayor Sly James’ creative effort to entice the gaze of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. In October, James purchased 1,000 items on Amazon, dishing each a five-star rating and a comment promoting Kansas City selling points — especially affordable cost-of-living.
“Each write-up included a not-so-subtle reference to the Missouri city, including why Amazon should select it as the location for its second headquarters,” Henry wrote. “Take, for instance, this review of a set of $14 wind-chimes, which hearkens to the relative affordability of KC. ‘When it comes to my house and my housewares, there’s nothing I value more than bang for my buck. … I live in beautiful Kansas City, where the average home price is just $122,000, so I know luxe living doesn’t have to cost a ton.’”
Inc. also noted the area’s high prospects of attracting another transformative technology firm: Virgin Hyperloop One. Missouri is reportedly a top 5 contender to win the first track for Hyperloop One, which created a transportation system that would propel people or freight from St. Louis to Kansas City in less than 30 minutes.
“City officials have teased access to an ultra-high speed transportation system, such as Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, to accelerate the company’s growth,” the article reads. “According to recent press reports, the St. Louis-Kansas City corridor is a top contender for a Hyperloop route.”
Analysts and authors Joel Kotkin and Richard Florida also provided fodder to buttress Kansas City’s Amazon pitch. Kotkin worked with the Kansas City Area Development Council on its RFP to Amazon, which highlighted the area’s amenities, culture and perspective headquarter sites among other details.
“Kansas City is a jewel in the Heartland — with a great cultural heritage, affordable housing of all kinds and, most of all, a strong spirit of cooperation across the whole region,” said Kotkin, a professor of urban studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. “The next wave of American innovation seems poised to take place in the Midwest, and KC will be at the heart of it all.”
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Chris Boyle wants you to reach for kombucha on instinct; his plan: make it as accessible (and tasty) as your favorite beer
Daily Culture Kombucha’s expansion is not quite as effortlessly self-replicating as the scoby that powers the Kansas City brand’s bold, full-bodied flavors — but a commitment to consistency and authenticity has fermented a strategy founder Chris Boyle said keeps his company on the tip of consumers’ tongues. “We’ve just been growing,” Boyle said, noting Daily…
Olathe restaurateur brings comfort food home from the Mediterranean (starting with falafel bowls)
Summer Salem looked around her city for an authentic Mediterranean restaurant and found a gap in the Olathe marketplace. So a year ago she began planning one of her own. She teamed with her husband, Abraham, who also is a partner in a downtown Kansas City Mediterranean restaurant. But the recipes would be Summer’s own.…
Cook to CEO: Chad Offerdahl sticks to Big Biscuit basics as breakfast industry trends funky — ‘That’s not us’
Chad Offerdahl’s journey with The Big Biscuit didn’t start in an office — it began in the kitchen, explained the CEO of the fast-growing, locally owned breakfast brand. That’s where he first learned the classics that define the company, its mission and the menu. “I started as a cook,” said Offerdahl. “I trained in the…
How this founder’s hobby (plus a little trouble) became Oak Park retail incubator’s biggest success story
“Big Chunky Blankets” — soft as a baby’s cheek and custom knitted in any color of the rainbow — folded into the foundation of what would become Maryann Nzioki Hult’s resilient, nearly pandemic-proof foray into entrepreneurship. They put local Tabu Knits on the online map of must-have-items, and then became the seed of two Johnson…