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Chicago and Illinois are not ready to accept defeat in the battle for Amazon's much-coveted second seat and the 50,000 jobs it could generate, even after speculation about its eventual location elsewhere this weekend.
"We are staying the course," said Jacquelyn Reineke, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Trade and Economic Opportunities. "We continue to pursue the project."
Adam Collins, spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said in a statement Monday that the city will continue its efforts to build on a solid record of offshoring companies.
"As funny as speculating on rumors, we do not play this board game," he said. "We have led the country in relocation of businesses for five consecutive years because of the strengths of Chicago's talent, transportation, training, technology and transparency."
It has been more than a year since Amazon announced its intention to create a second campus, announcing the creation of 50,000 well-paying jobs in approximately 8 million square feet of buildings. Chicago was one of 238 cities and regions that submitted proposals, and one of 20 candidates announced when the list was reduced in January.
Three of these locations are located in the Washington, DC area. This fact, added to the Washington Post property by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and other factors, has led to speculation that the region would be the favorite.
The Post fueled these speculations over the weekend by announcing that Amazon had had in-depth discussions about the installation of Headquarters 2 in the Crystal City neighborhood in Arlington, Va., And on the speed with which the online trading giant could transfer employees would be manipulated. The story noted that Amazon could have similar discussions with other finalists.
Mike Grella, director of economic development at Amazon, responded to speculation on Twitter.
"Genie memo revealing information about Crystal City, Virginia, as # HQ2 selection. You do not do favors in Crystal City, VA. And stop processing the (confidentiality agreement) you signed as a used napkin, "he tweeted.
The Post has also reviewed Bezos' private jet flight data and determined that it has visited less than half of the 20 finalist cities since January. The private jet did not visit Chicago. But the representatives of Amazon have.
Members of the HQ2 site selection team at Amazon were back in Chicago in August to re-examine a site in the South Loop along the river. This was the second known visit of the 62-acre (62-acre) Related Midwest planned development project The 78, which Amazon had already visited with four other sites during its visit to Chicago in March.
Amazon has not responded to a request for comment. The company announced that it would choose a winner by the end of the year.
Twitter @ AllyMarotti
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