One of the Thanksgiving meal discussions at my house involved Amazon’s new HQ2 and why Governor Cuomo didn’t get the company to locate its new facility in upstate New York. And, though my argument that upstate metropolitan areas lacked technology focused labor pools of sufficient size to be seriously considered by a technology based firm creating 25,000 jobs was received with skepticism, that is one of the real difficulties that upstate metropolitan areas faced in the competition.
But, my former colleague and friend from Empire State Development, Dave Catalfamo points out that with some effort from the Cuomo Administration, some of the benefits offered by Amazon might be more widely shared. So, I’d encourage you to read the “Put Amazon to Work” on his blog, Exiled in Albany, for some ideas.