News

In the public and unprecedented battle for Amazon's new headquarters, hundreds of geographies have tried to put their best foot forward, including offering incentives packages worth billions. Steve Weitzner explains the need for communities to evolve past submitting standard sites and responses by connecting at a human level and providing a creative offer which Amazon cannot ignore.

The recent boom in megaprojects and the increasingly public nature of these site selection competitions has brought Columbus into the spotlight. Steve Weitzner notes the metropolitan area has worked hard to fight its perception of not having enough workers for a giant project and describes Columbus as one of the country's most vibrant communities.

The details of Cleveland's recent bid for Amazon's HQ2 have been kept confidential while cities like Boston and Chicago have shared information. Steve Weitzner advocated openness in his discussion with the Plain Dealer. He explained the missed opportunity to tell the world (not just Amazon) that Northeast Ohio is competitive and a fantastic place to do business.

Foxconn's recently announced $10B deal with Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker elicited criticism from many, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich. As Midwest states competed to land a Foxconn electronics manufacturing facility and up to 10,000 jobs, Steve Weitzner was quoted by several publications. His insights about frequently changing project parameters and Ohio’s cautious approach were quoted in the BELT.

Amazon's second headquarters project has probably attracted more attention than any other US project in the history of the world. Amazon has invited metropolitan areas in North America with over one million in population to compete for the project and the estimated 50,000 jobs associated with it. Steve Weitzner speculates about top contenders in this Chicago Tribune article, discusses Amazon's nontraditional approach with the Indy Star, and talks about Ohio's chances with the Columbus Dispatch.