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#CLTisPrime: City brainstorms ways to lure Amazon to Charlotte

By Mark Barber
By Mark Barber

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The deadline to submit a bid for Amazon's second headquarters is Oct. 19, and the city of Charlotte reached out to the public to ask what the Queen City can do to stand out from the 150 other cities hoping to land the major company.

[RELATED: Charlotte asks citizens to use #CLTisPrime to attract Amazon]

The Charlotte region's top business leaders met Wednesday to figure out what sets Charlotte apart from other competing cities.

One example is offers of good faith from large companies like Bank of America and Duke Energy. Business leaders want to petition large corporations in Charlotte to help Amazon launch their workforce of 50,000 employees by giving them some of their own rising stars for the first 18 months.

Chuck Price is one of the business leaders who is banding together to find a way to win the bid for Amazon.

He wants to petition Charlotte's largest corporations to help Amazon launch their workforce by giving them some of their own rising stars for the first 18 months.

"Quite an interesting idea,” Price, a talent search consultant, said. “Realistically, do you think any of our companies would be willing to give their employees over? That's the million-dollar question and I would say, ‘Yes and no.'"

Price said many local employees would leave for Amazon, so it's critical to find a goodwill offer that sets everyone up for success.

"It could help form really good bonds between the companies here, and Amazon," Price said.

The Charlotte Chamber and the Charlotte Regional Partnership recently launched a new website, Charlotte is Prime, which essentially introduces the city to Amazon, breaking down everything from Charlotte's culture to the size of the talent pool for tech workers.

[LINK: Amazon HQ Requirements]

Amazon's expansion has the power to completely transform a city like Charlotte because it's promising 50,000 new jobs that pay an average of $100,000.

[RELATED: Charlotte works on pitch for location of Amazon's second headquarters]

Every major city in the country is trying to lure the online retailer by putting together a strong incentive package. Channel 9 discovered that North Carolina can compete with everyone else because it does not have to cap how much money it offers to Amazon.

[PAST COVERAGE: Prime real estate: Amazon searches for 2nd headquarters]

Eyewitness News spoke with the economic investment committee and learned that if Amazon delivers on its job creation promises, they could win back a lot of the tax dollars created by their new jobs for 25 years.

Once the Charlotte Regional Partnership submits the bid it will be another two months before the city learns if it earned a spot on Amazon's short list.

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