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Emanuel: “You Can’t Win If You Don’t Compete”
Crystal City and Long Island City’s gain—a share of Amazon’s $5-billion investment in a second headquarters—is Chicago’s loss. Despite a full-court press by the city and state, including 10 possible HQ2 sites and $2.25 billion in incentives, Chicago ended up on the list of also-rans.
However, at a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed no regrets about making a huge effort to convince Amazon. “You can’t win if you don’t compete” and competing offers no guarantees of victory, he said.
The mayor ticked off the city’s strengths. “We happen to be in a place that is literally number one in the world for millennials,” he cited. “Companies are looking for that talent.” They’re also looking for the transit connectivity that Chicago offers, he added.
He acknowledged that “there are some things that we have to continue to build on,” including a tech economy that’s “actually world class.”
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