Michigan will not get Amazon's second headquarters.
Amazon unveiled its list of 20 finalists after reviewing 238 proposals from across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Detroit and Grand Rapids are not on the list.
The city placed a joint bid with Windsor late last year with a 242-page bid book that offered big tax breaks, cheap labor costs and a possible ferry to Windsor.
Amazon has said it will fill its second headquarters with as many as 50,000 new full-time employees over the next 10 to 15 years who would earn more than $100,000 a year in wages and benefits.
The 20 finalists for Amazon's second headquarters:
- 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.
Amazon, in announcing its shortlist, did not provide details on how and why it chose the 20 cities and regions, beyond saying that it used the criteria it had laid out in its initial request for proposals.
Besides Detroit not making the list, other cities not chosen as finalists include Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Diego, and Portland, as well as dozens of others. In Michigan, Grand Rapids also big in a bid but didn't make the shortlist.
The New York Times, quoting "people briefed on the process," said the creation of the shortlist was conducted by an Amazon team of about a dozen people including economists, human resources manages and executives in the company's real estate section, plus Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Mayor Mike Duggan issues the following statement on Amazon's decision:
"We would have loved to have made it into the next round for Amazon's second headquarters but everyone here is incredibly proud of the proposal we submitted. It showed a clear vision for the future of our city and brought out the very best of our city and our region.
"I want to thank Dan Gilbert, the Governor, County Executives, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and the entire bid team for an extraordinary effort in a short period of time. We learned a great deal from this process and it was a very valuable experience. We're going to keep building on the progress we’ve made and keep pursuing major developments. I expect that the lessons we learned in the Amazon process will help make us more successful on a number of other major potential investments that we are currently pursuing.
"We're going right back to work today to work on those other projects."
And businessman Dan Gilbert, who headed the city's bid effort, issued this statement:
"Obviously, we are all disappointed Amazon did not name Detroit as one of the 20 cities they will be further evaluating for their new “HQ2”.
"We are not deterred in any way, shape or form. Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day.
"All you have to do is spend an hour walking around town and you will have a very clear and deep understanding of the opportunities, optimism and future of the motor city.
"We have no doubt our best days are ahead of us. There are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead.
"Next."
And Gov. Rick Snyder issued the following statement:
“It’s disappointing we will not be welcoming a new Amazon headquarters to Detroit, but appreciate their continued investment and expansion in Michigan, including right in the heart of our Comeback City.
“Detroit’s proposal to Amazon was incredible and garnered positive attention for the city from all across the world. As a state we will continue to pursue these types of valuable opportunities for our talented workforce.
“We are a top 10 state and we will continue driving to be the best in the nation. There is no limit to what Michiganders can do, and this proposal demonstrated exactly how we can marshal our resources and collaborate. Throughout the process of putting together this bid, we learned our greatest strengths and identified areas where we can improve. Now we are even more ready for the next big prospect.
“Michigan’s spirit is unstoppable, and so is our comeback. This won’t set us back - we’re accelerating to the next opportunity. We know it’s out there.”