Oh well, it turns out that Buffalo did not make the cut for Amazon’s HQ2. The companies that are now in contention are: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville; Newark; New York City; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Raleigh; Toronto and Washington, D.C.
City of Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown stated, “We’re disappointed that Buffalo isn’t in the next round for Amazon’s HQ2. I was proud of the sophisticated proposal that was submitted to Amazon which detailed our region’s resurgence, strong economy and positive momentum, our talented tech workforce, world-class colleges and universities, regional attributes including existing area connectivity, advanced innovation eco-system, the well-documented affordability of our region, and access to Canada and other destinations. This would have been another transformational opportunity for our City, but with the nearly $7 billion in economic development underway, our momentum will not slow down. I thank the Western New York team for shining a positive light on the Greater Buffalo Rochester Metro Corridor, which I’m pleased to say continues to draw from the global pool of innovative companies who now call Buffalo and Rochester home.”
Now it looks like Buffalo will have to turn to other companies, to make up for the $5 billion that Amazon will ultimately apply towards construction and operational costs. That’s what some lucky city will land, along with 50,000 high-paying jobs. In the meantime, we’re just going to have to continue to grow organically for the most part, which is the same formula we have been following for years.
Now that Buffalo is out out of the race… how about rooting for Toronto? Go Toronto!