MEMORANDUM
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To: |
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia Members |
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From: |
Rob Wonderling, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia |
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CC: |
John Fry, Chairman, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia |
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Date: |
September 14, 2017 |
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Subject: |
Amazon HQ2 Project Update |
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The announcement by Amazon last week that they will create a new, second headquarters in North America provides a unique opportunity for Greater Philadelphia, and your Chamber team is working with city, county and state representatives as well as business and civic leaders from across our community to respond to this RFP. The Chamber and our Select Greater Philadelphia Council team led by Matt Cabrey, is supporting PIDC and the City of Philadelphia Commerce Department. Together we are leading the process to assess the opportunity, gather the data, and construct the formal response from our region.
This is a milestone moment for Greater Philadelphia, and the team is engaging various partners from across our collective community to compile and create the most attractive and compelling response to tell our story of growth, and highlight all the assets — talent, quality of life, access and proximity, infrastructure, and more — that makes our region the perfect place for Amazon’s new HQ2. Based on the specific criteria, we believe our community is positioned exceptionally well for this project. For details, please review the Amazon RFP and press release.
We need the active engagement and support of our regional business and civic community as together we unify around this opportunity. Importantly, we need to have each of you continue your role as true champions for Greater Philadelphia, positioning in a positive way the business assets that distinguish our community. While an opportunity of this type may in the past have seemed insurmountable, we as a community are in a new, positive place — one that is building on our regional successes and harnessing the expertise that each of you and your organizations deliver every day, and that will deliver a winning outcome for a project of this magnitude.
We have already received numerous offers from many of you and others who want to support this project. You can help by spreading the message of our desire to welcome Amazon’s HQ2 through social media with #PhillyDelivers.
If you have specific suggestions and ideas, or an expertise to offer, please email the Chamber’s HQ2 team at: AmazonHQ2PHL@ChamberPHL.com and/or provide input directly to the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you for all you do with and for our Chamber and our community. Your continued support will be vital in the weeks and months ahead as we work to position our region as the future site of Amazon’s HQ2.
ROB WONDERLING
President & CEO
