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WASHINGTON – To promote the significant strategic and economic benefits of locating Amazon’s second corporate headquarters in the Kansas City area, members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations today sent a letter to Amazon’s Office of Economic Development in support of the proposal submitted by the Kansas City Area Development Council. This bipartisan letter was led by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and signed by U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) and U.S. Representatives Lynn Jenkins (KS-02), Kevin Yoder (KS-03), Sam Graves (MO-6), Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-5) and Vicky Hartzler (MO-4).

“As Amazon’s Office of Economic Development considers potential sites for a second corporate headquarters, we write in support of the proposal submitted by the Kansas City Area Development Council on behalf of the entire Kansas City region, including Kansas and Missouri,” the members wrote. “The diversity of exemplary educational institutions in the area will naturally serve as an abundant source of skilled labor to Amazon as it has for existing employers in the region, and access to the top quality public and private educational opportunities in the country continue to draw families to the Kansas City area.”

“As a bipartisan, bi-state coalition of United States Senators and Representatives, we strongly support the qualified proposal submitted by the Kansas City Area Development Council,” the members continued. “Thank you for your full and fair consideration.”

Full text of the letter can be found below and attached:

October 19, 2017

Amazon
Office of Economic Development
c/o Site Manager Golden
2121 7th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98121

To Whom It May Concern,

As Amazon’s Office of Economic Development considers potential sites for a second corporate headquarters, we write in support of the proposal submitted by the Kansas City Area Development Council on behalf of the entire Kansas City region, including Kansas and Missouri.

The Greater Kansas City region has a rich history of innovative technology companies like Sprint Corporation, Garmin International, and Cerner Corporation as well as a thriving startup community occupied by collaborative entrepreneurial partnerships like the Kansas City Startup Village and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Thanks to Google Fiber and followed by other ISPs, Kansas City is the nation’s first bistate gigabit Internet region. Amazon employees will be able to access this network at their homes throughout the region and this infrastructure allows tremendous opportunities for business resilience programming as well as distance working opportunities.

The diversity of exemplary educational institutions in the area will naturally serve as an abundant source of skilled labor to Amazon as it has for existing employers in the region, and access to the top quality public and private educational opportunities in the country continue to draw families to the Kansas City area.

Amazon recognizes the strategic location of the Kansas City metropolitan area with a number of Amazon facilities, including the selection of Edgerton, and Kansas City, Kansas for two state-of-the-art fulfillment centers. These distribution centers benefit from well-established and advanced transportation infrastructure, including connecting interstate highways and rail lines along with numerous regional airports and KC’s international airport for the efficient and effective transportation of products and people. With local economic development partners like KC SmartPort, international trade continues to expand in the region. In addition, the RideKC program and MAX Bus Rapid Transit services offer accessible, expedient, and safe commutes for employees and their families.

In the last decade, Kansas City has revitalized its downtown area, including the vibrant Power & Light District, an eight-block development which offers an exciting urban lifestyle filled with easily accessible shopping, dining and entertainment. The 20,000 seat indoor arena, Sprint Center, is host to numerous headlining concerts and the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008 and every year since 2010. These developments, along with the new Kansas City Streetcar, have prompted more than $2 billion in downtown economic investments, with an explosion in the number of downtown residents. In addition, Kansas City is also recognized as a great place to raise a family with an abundance of quality housing options – from urban to suburban - and recent economic development investments.

Locals enjoy a wide-range of dynamic entertainment and cultural landmarks like the U.S. Open Cup Champion Sporting Kansas City MLS team, the 2015 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals, the city’s vibrant arts community at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art or the Grammy-winning Kansas City Symphony, or exciting NASCAR events at the Kansas Speedway. The area also maintains some of the best parks and recreational destinations in the nation according to the National Park and Recreation Association. Kansas City remains an epicenter supporting small business owners who find a creative community that welcomes their independent shops and entrepreneurial dreams.

As a bipartisan, bistate coalition of United States Senators and Representatives, we strongly support the qualified proposal submitted by the Kansas City Area Development Council. Thank you for your full and fair consideration.

Sincerely,

Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02)
Congressman Kevin Yoder (KS-03)
Congressman Sam Graves (MO-6)
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-5)
Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) 

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