FILE PICTURE - The logo of the web service Amazon is pictured in this June 8, 2017 illustration photo. (REUTERS/Carlos Jasso)
Amazon.com has made about 200 phone calls to cities the retail giant rejected for its second headquarters. Some of the cities say they are learning from the disappointing phone conversations and making changes.
Cincinnati and Sacramento, Calif., are restructuring workforce development programs to focus on tech talent. Orlando, Fla., is considering starting a community fund to invest in local tech companies and draw more entrepreneurs. In Detroit, elected officials and business leaders are pushing a ballot initiative for a new regional transportation network that would connect outer counties to the city.
Amazon has selected 20 finalists from 238 applicants from metro areas and regions like Detroit and Baltimore to small towns in Texas for its $5 billion second corporate headquarters, which it has said could create up to 50,000 high-paying jobs.
Demands in its request for proposals included a metro area with a population of more than one million, public transportation, a big airport with plenty of connections to Seattle and a large pool of tech talent.
This story originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal.
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