PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Leaders in Pennsylvania are hailing the inclusion of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on a list of finalists for Amazon’s second headquarters released Thursday.
Gov. Tom Wolf said he wasn’t surprised, given Pennsylvania’s location in the heart of the East Coast along with its nationally ranked educational institutions and a workforce “equipped to support future growth.”
“Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have a real shot and we will continue to support these locations by making the case to Amazon that Pennsylvania is a unique and tremendous place to build a business, make a home, and pursue your happiness,” Wolf said.
Mayor Jim Kenney calls the decision to include Philadelphia “an exciting milestone” for the city.
“We are thrilled at today’s announcement, and look forward to working with Amazon’s team on the next steps of this process to further highlight all that Philadelphia has to offer,” he said.
Delaware’s governor and other officials said they were disappointed that the list of finalists didn’t include their state but vowed to support Philadelphia’s application “to help bring Amazon to our region.”
Officials in Allegheny County, including County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto, said they were excited and proud.
“The Pittsburgh region’s proposal was developed to showcase the incredible value the region offers through its world-class talent pool, high quality of life at a low cost, stable business environment and significant capacity to grow with a commitment to ensuring prosperity for all,” their statement said.
Amazon released a list Thursday of 20 finalists narrowed from 238 proposals received.
Cities across North America have been fiercely competing for the online retailer’s second headquarters and its promise of 50,000 new jobs and construction spending topping $5 billion.
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This story has been corrected to show that the governor’s last name is Wolf, not Wolff.
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