Cbus on Amazon list? Of course!
City offers plenty to lure tech giant
Hey Columbus, when are we going to stop being surprised at making the cut?
That Amazon is giving central Ohio a hard look to build its second headquarters should not be a surprise, given the economic-development strides made here in recent years.
The good news came Thursday when the Seattle-based megacorporation named Columbus on its list of 20 finalists to land its $5 billion HQ2 with its expected 50,000 jobs. And with no other Ohio cities on the short list, now we can put the full weight of state resources into the bid.
Let’s count some ways Columbus makes sense to be in the running, if not even a favorite to ultimately land the prize.
Amazon wants a highly educated workforce for these jobs, and we’ve got higher education that can deliver. Ohio State University alone produces 2,550 engineering graduates a year and Ohio’s engineering schools have shown willingness to collaborate to turn out talent for specific workforce needs. We can fill your new jobs, Jeff Bezos.
Amazon wants a metro area of 1 million or more. Columbus proper leapfrogged Indianapolis (also on the HQ2 short list) last year to become the 14th-largest city in the U.S., with 2 millionplus in a metro area that is preparing to welcome another million residents by 2050. And groups like the Urban Land Institute and Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission are working to make sure we handle the growth smartly and avoid congestion that has plagued other growing cities.
Speaking of smart, Columbus demonstrated its ability to beat out top national competitors when it won the U.S. Department of Transportation Smart City Challenge in June 2016. A key to that win was the culture of collaboration we know as the Columbus Way, combined with a creative approach of using new transit approaches to address local concerns of infant mortality and crime in depressed communities.
Amazon wants creative big thinking on possible locations for its massive new facility. Look no further than the Scioto Peninsula and Franklinton for creativity in raising parkland out of riverbanks and extending Downtown westward. (Anthony Precourt is shortsighted in failing to realize opportunities to grow his Columbus Crew here, but that’s another story.)
Amazon founder Bezos would find entrepreneurial compatriots in Columbus, from L Brands founder Les Wexner to CoverMyMeds creator Matt Scantland — people like him with the vision and drive to take good business concepts to the moon. And that entrepreneurial spirit continues to be stoked with resources like Rev1 Ventures, Fintech71, the Idea Foundry, VentureOhio, JobsOhio and more.
Central Ohio already has attracted Amazon investment for three data centers and two distribution centers plus northwest Ohio wind farms. Known quantities always have a leg up on the unknown for major business investments. And it doesn’t hurt that we’ve also attracted a $750 million Facebook data center to New Albany. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg can tell Bezos what sold him on us.
We could go on extolling local virtues — low-cost living, Midwest values, proximity to major population centers. One thing we still need: a bit of swagger. Let’s try that on for size.