DENVER – The City of Denver has started to get the ball running after Amazon announced Thursday plans to open a second headquarters in North America that could employ as many as 50,000 people.
“This is a mega prospect and we have already initiated conversations with our economic development partners at the State and regional level to thoroughly consider the best possible fit for Denver and the region,” Mayor Michael Hancock said.
The new HQ2 facility will cost at least $5 billion to construct and operate, according to Amazon.
The online retail giant said it would prefer to open the second headquarters in a suburban or urban area with more than 1 million people, CNN reported. They’re encouraging cities “to think big and be creative."
"We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. "Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We're excited to find a second home."
The company's headquarters in Seattle boasts 33 buildings and 24 restaurants or cafes. It covers 8.1 million square feet.
Amazon estimates its investments from their Seattle headquarters generated $38 billion from 2010 to 2016.
