Amazon: Dallas Named Finalist For New Headquarters

DALLAS, TX — Three months ago, Dallas submitted a proposal to Amazon in an effort to become the home of the online retail giant's second U.S. headquarters. For the first time since the proposals were submitted, Amazon has responded. And their answer was exciting.

Dallas was chosen from a pool of 238 proposals and now holds its own among Amazon's 20 finalist cities as a potential HQ2 location. Amazon hasn't said exactly what factors led them to choose Dallas, but a recent study cited Texas' lack of income tax, fiscal health and cost of living as potential motivators for Amazon.

“Thank you to all 238 communities that submitted proposals. Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough – all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity,” said Holly Sullivan of Amazon Public Policy. “Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation.”

Amazon said in a press release Thursday that it will continue working in the coming months to make a decision before the end of 2018.

Amazon HQ2 will be a complete headquarters for Amazon, not a satellite office. The company plans to invest over $5 billion and grow this second headquarters to accommodate as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs. In addition to Amazon’s direct hiring and investment, construction and ongoing operation of Amazon HQ2 is expected to create tens of thousands of additional jobs and tens of billions of dollars in additional investment in the surrounding community.

And what exactly does Amazon define as a high-paying job? According to its Request for Proposal, the company will bring 50,000 jobs, each paying more than $100,000 annually, to whichever city it chooses.

In a press release, the Fort Worth and Dallas Regional Chambers of Commerce lauded Dallas' appearance on the shortlist.

“It’s always great to pursue opportunities like this with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and the professionals that conduct economic development for our regional cities,” said Mike Rosa, senior vice president of economic development at the Dallas Regional Chamber. “Working together, we’ve had a lot of success bringing new jobs, companies and investment here. I’m confident we’ve shared with Amazon all the things that have made this region a great place for corporate headquarters location.”

“This was an historic opportunity for all DFW-area communities to work together, leverage all of our assets and showcase our region,” said Brandom Gengelbach, executive vice president of economic development for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. “For multiple cities to collaborate for such a prize is quite a feat, and we are confident we can build on relationships and use all the regional information that was compiled to give us an advantage in future projects.”

You can see Amazon's full request for proposal here.

Finalists in alphabetical order:

• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Boston, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Columbus, OH
• Dallas, TX
• Denver, CO
• Indianapolis, IN
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• Montgomery County, MD
• Nashville, TN
• Newark, NJ
• New York City, NY
• Northern Virginia, VA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Raleigh, NC
• Toronto, ON
• Washington D.C.

More on Patch:

• Dallas-Fort Worth Responds To Amazon's HQ2 Request With Area Unified Chambers Of Commerce Video (watch)

Getty Images file photo: Amazon Alexa Senior Vice President Tom Taylor walks on stage during a Panasonic press event for CES 2018 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dallas was named a finalist city for Amazon's HQ2. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)