(Camden, NJ) – Tonight, the Freeholder Board, unanimously voted to work with the state Economic Development Agency to craft a proposal making Camden County and specifically Camden City the best site for Amazon’s second North American headquarters. The Freeholder Board and the Camden County Improvement Authority will be working with partners in the city and at the state to compete for the most prized economic development project in the nation.
Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli talked about the unique position the city and county are in to attract a technology company the size and scope of Amazon.
“Camden will be offering intangibles that other locations throughout the nation can’t come to the table with, whether that be affordability, accessibility, proximity or a qualified labor pool,” Cappelli said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are going to put our best foot forward to ensure we are in the mix to grab one of the finest companies in the world to call Camden home.”
Amazon has redefined digital sales throughout the world going from a website that focused on selling books to a global e-commerce leader for the largest variety of products anywhere in the world. The eight million-square-feet of proposed office space that will be Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos second headquarters will be transformative for any landscape. Also, the thousands of new employees working within those offices will bring benefits to the community they settle in the local economy.
“Listen, we are 20 mins away from one of the largest airports in the nation, 30th Street station and a five-minute PATCO train ride to Center City Philadelphia, which by the way is closer to Camden than most of Philadelphia county,” Cappelli continued. “For Amazon employees, we are a 50-minute ride to the beach, have amenities any work force would kill for and a quality of life that is second to none. Furthermore, we are 90 minutes away from New York City and three hours away from Washington D.C.”
Camden City and the county have seen an unprecedented amount of private investment over the last three years including the $320 million Holtec International Technology campus and several other new corporations encompassing more than $2 billion in total. Construction continues at Knight’s Crossing as car manufacturer, Subaru of America, gets closer to finishing their new national headquarters and on the waterfront where American Water builds its new campus. In addition, the $8 billion, international food and beverage company, Campbell Soup, has called the city home for more than 140 years.
“Make no mistake, this is not an exercise, this is a process that we and our partners are passionately committed too. We believe a consolidated effort will make Camden and South Jersey stand out in the proposal competition,” Cappellli explained. “And you better believe we will be enlisting the help of every stakeholder in the region to make this proposal a reality.”