Side Benefit to Amazon’s Headquarters Contest: Local Expertise<br />Mr. Adler said Amazon’s bidding process would make Detroit a stronger contender for any company looking for a new or expanded location.<br />Mark Williams, president of the Strategic Development Group, a site selection consulting firm, said available tax<br />breaks, like those offered by Detroit, could be one of the most important pieces of information for Amazon<br />The company also has more than a dozen satellite offices focused on research<br />and development — Amazon calls them “tech hubs.” It has a large robotics unit near Boston, a machine translation team in Pittsburgh and a video game development group in San Diego.<br />The company did not realize until it saw the application from Louisville, Ky., the person said,<br />that there is a large pool of technical talent within 200 miles of the city and a local public-private partnership that helps train students to become entry-level software developers.<br />A local coalition that helps military veterans make the transition to civilian jobs, which<br />could help Amazon’s efforts to recruit veterans, also caught the company’s eye.<br />State and local officials have been enthusiastic about the jobs at the warehouses,<br />offering tax breaks and raving about Amazon’s arrival in news releases.
