Kansas City Mayor buys, reviews 1,000 items in unique pitch for Amazon HQ
As competition heats up among cities across the country to become the home to Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) second headquarters, Kansas City Mayor Sly James made a unique pitch to the e-commerce giant. The mayor bought and reviewed 1,000 items in order to get the company’s attention.
James credited the city’s team who came up with the project, telling the FOX Business Network’s Ashley Webster, “I tell you what, it was a brilliant idea, stroke of genius in my opinion and I think we executed pretty well.”
According to James, there has not been any reaction yet from Amazon specifically, but views the pitch as an opportunity to tout the benefits of the city to businesses across the country.
“The bottom line is, is what we’re trying to do is to make sure that Amazon and everybody else for that matter knows that Kansas City is a unique opportunity, has some unique assets, one of which is our creative class and I think that what we did showed the level of creativity and entrepreneurism and innovation that we have in Kansas City.” James said on Varney & Co.
When asked about the tax breaks the city would have to give up to lure the company, James viewed them as a long-term investment in the city’s future.
What's the best way to get Amazon excited about a new KC HQ? Amazon product reviews. Tell Amazon why you love KC with #KC5stars. pic.twitter.com/kD9lPnwywb
— Mayor Sly James (@MayorSlyJames) October 11, 2017
“You have to make an investment before you see the long-term return. So, you don’t make the investment thinking that you’re going to have an immediate first-day return, you make it recognizing that if you have a company like this, 10, 15, 20 years down the road the returns will be magnificent, people will have better outcomes and jobs.”
James says the city is “ready to compete,” telling Webster, “At the end of the day, I’ll match my city with anybody in this country and anyplace else because I know, and people who live here know exactly how good it is to live in Kansas City, Missouri.”
