Dan Gilbert says Detroit 'very excited' to work with Windsor on bid to host Amazon HQ
Amazon says 'HQ2' will bring 50,000 full-time jobs
The city of Detroit is "very excited" to work with Windsor on a bid to bring online retail giant Amazon to the area, according to billionarie Dan Gilbert.
The Quicken Loans chairman wrote in a statement that Detroit's bid is unique because it is the only site sitting on an international border with one of the country's biggest trading partners.
"The city of Windsor, province of Ontario and all of Canada has a large, skilled technology workforce," said Gilbert. "Amazon will be able to draw employees from two countries rich in technology talent with diverse backgrounds while cementing it as the first major company in the world whose headquarters would literally share an international border."
Within hours of the U.S.-based company announcing its search for a city where it could set up its second headquarters, officials across North America began assembling enticing offers.
Several Canadian cities have thrown their hats into the ring to host "HQ2" and the 50,000 full-time jobs the company says can be expected over the next 15 years, with an average pay of more than $100,000 U.S. annually.
Premier Kathleen Wynne has even brought on former bank executive Ed Clark to lead a task force with the goal of landing the project somewhere in the province.
with files from CBC Ottawa