Could New York’s Capital Region Become Amazon HQ2?

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not represent the views or opinions of my employer.

By now, most have heard Amazon has been seeking a second headquarters location (Amazon HQ2), and many states have gone to great strides to court their location to the Amazon scouts. With $5 billion in economic investment and 50,000 potential jobs, it is easy to comprehend why.

As I pondered the scope of Amazon’s HQ2, what would it mean to have the company in the greater Albany community? To peel this back, I focused on two pivotal areas: logistics and economics.

From a logistics standpoint, the New York Capital Region could be very appealing to Amazon. The greater Albany area is an excellent logistics corridor. There is an international airport, a deep-water port off the Hudson, and a major railhead in the local area. All three modes of transportation have the capacity for, and could present an opportunity to Amazon for additional, utilization. Moreover, Albany is an excellent interstate corridor— Amazon’s package deliveries have support from both North/South (I-87) and East/West (I-95) crossroads. Furthermore, there are four major connecting hubs within 200 miles (Boston, Hartford, New York City, and Montreal).

From an economic standpoint/community impact, there are not too many communities nationwide that can support an immediate workforce of 50,000 professionals. Yet, Albany does possess a strong school network that is producing an extremely talented workforce. Besides the workforce, other crucial HQ2 hurdles include housing, mass transit, office space, restaurants, shopping, and more. On a positive economic note, the greater Albany area does have the support of local freight operators (Logistics One), warehouses (Distribution Unlimited), customs brokers (Trans-Border Global), and distributors (The Hillman Companies).

On October 19, the Center for Economic Growth submitted a proposal to Amazon, detailing development options that satisfy Amazon’s requirements. While we don’t know if the Capital Region is in the running for Amazon’s HQ2, if asked, the greater Albany area could support a preponderance of the HQ2 requirements.