After its proposal
City researches tech giant’s needs after failed Amazon bid
for Amazon’s second headquarters was rejected, Orlando is turning its focus toward another technology giant.
The Orlando Economic Partnership will pursue Apple regarding the consumer tech icon’s plans to expand in the U.S. and add a new corporate campus, officials confirmed Friday. Interest in Apple follows the rejection of Orlando’s proposal for Amazon’s second headquarters.
“We’re proud of the proposal we made, but we’re looking at what else we can do now. We are learning what we can about what Apple wants,” said Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the partnership, which includes the region’s economic development agency.
He said every major city is likely seeking more info about Apple’s expansion, which the company announced in a statement Wednesday. On Thursday, Amazon announced a list of 20 cities it is considering as finalists for its second headquarters or HQ2, which omitted Orlando and more than 200 other cities that submitted formal bids.
Apple has an office in Orlando with dozens of employees working on hardware. The company sent Business Leader Jeff Hicks to the FloridaTechMatch event in Orlando to meet with local entrepreneurs Friday. Apple is advertising for five hardware engineers at its Orlando location.
The new campus will house tech support for customers initially. The company says it will announce the location of the new facility later this year.
“Apple expects to invest over $30 billion in capital expenditures in the U.S. over the next five years and create over 20,000 new jobs through hiring at existing campuses and opening a new one,” the tech giant said Thursday. Apple already has a big hub in Austin, Texas, besides its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. During the last decade, Apple says it has invested billions of dollars in data centers and other facilities in seven states, including North Carolina, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and a recently announced project in Iowa.
Some of those areas are still in the running for Amazon’s second headquarters. Amazon’s list includes predictable large hubs of technology like Boston and New York, but also a few outliers such as Newark, N.J.
Giuliani and Orange County
“From looking at Amazon’s list, it seems the high priority was a large existing pool of tech talent.” Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership
Mayor Teresa Jacobs both said they are seeking a “debriefing” from Amazon about why Orlando was left off the list.
“From looking at Amazon’s list, it seems the high priority was a large existing pool of tech talent,” Giuliani said. He said Central Florida will have to double down on efforts including boosting STEM and workforce education, in order to boost the talent pool in the region’s emerging tech community.
He said many of the cities on Amazon’s list of 20 have a relatively high cost of living. Orlando considers one of its strengths to be a relatively low cost of living, while still having 500,000 college students within 100 miles and a vibrant tech cluster that includes the National Center for Simulation, Electronic Arts, Lockheed Martin and other tech employers.
Chris Whitlow, founder of Orlando-based Edukate, said the low cost of living here draws some entrepreneurs who want to build companies from California or New York.
Jacobs and Giuliani both described Orlando as a fairly young city when it comes to landing major tech corporations.
“Five or 10 years ago, we may not even have thrown our hat into the ring,” Jacobs said. For example, she said the region’s mass transit is just getting commuter rail such as SunRail service that launched in 2014, and the plan to extend Brightline from South Florida to Orlando.
Giuliani and Jacobs made their remarks at the county’s annual Economic Summit at the Orange County Convention Center. The summit featured a panel discussion with successful local entrepreneurs talking about how to grow the region’s tech community. Giuliani said Orlando will keep growing fast, but the trick is to have plans and strategies to deal with the growth, and make sure it benefits the whole region.
“We still need to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and bigger, successful businesses, and keep working with entrepreneurs in the community,” said panelist Suneera Madhani, founder of financial-tech company Fattmerchant.
pbrinkmann@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5660; Twitter: @PaulBrinkmann