Houston touts innovation in bid to bring Amazon HQ to town
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Right now, Amazon is looking for a new place to call home and officials are pulling out all the stops to convince the retail giant on why they should choose Houston.
The Greater Houston Partnership is giving Eyewitness News an exclusive look at how it's showing Amazon everything it has to offer.
Click here to see the campaign's stunning new video to Amazon.
This decision has the potential to bring an entirely new industry to Space City.
"There's no reason why they should select any other city than the city of Houston," Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "And that's coming from an objective source."
WATCH: Mayor says Amazon and Houston are a good match
Houston is looking to stand out among 238 communities as Amazon searches for a second headquarters outside of Seattle.
Wherever the company goes, it is creating 50,000 new jobs.
The largest employers here have an average of about 10,000 to 12,000 employees.
"They might bring as much as a $5 billion investment to build all the office space needed to accommodate all those employees, so this is a great opportunity for Houston," says Bob Harvey, CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership.
Houston is touting what we know is special about this city: the people, the diversity, the business climate, being world renowned in energy, medicine, space, and manufacturing.
At the center of it all is a name they believe will stick: The Innovation Corridor, a four-mile area stretching from Rice University and the Texas Medical Center to downtown.
"Beyond just the sheer scale of it, the significance of working with Amazon, this highly innovative disruptive company, they would be a great addition to the Houston economy," Harvey said.
The city said it hopes to be disruptive in its invitation to Amazon.
But don't think of this as trouble. Disruptive thinking can bring big ideas.
"There's no better place to take that thinking than into Houston and this 'Innovation Corridor,'" Harvey said.
The best of what Houston has to offer, with an unparalleled workforce waiting and a city that knows how to shake things up.
"Houston and Amazon are kindred spirits. Where we think big, we get things done," Harvey said.
Amazon isn't talking about when it plans to make a decision, or even come out with a short list of the possible cities in consideration. But there are reports a short list could come sometime early next year.
You can see more about the campaign at www.houston.org
