ATLANTA — For the fifth year in a row, Site Selection Magazine named Georgia the number one state in which to do business.
“We have an economy that is clicking on all its cylinders,” said Governor Nathan Deal.
Deal beamed as he made the announcement on Monday.
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Channel 2 Action News was the only tv crew in the room as Georgia Department of Economic Development gave its board members a glimpse of the state's secret bid to win Amazon's east coast headquarters and the 50,000 high paying jobs and $5 billion investment that comes with it.
State law prevented them from revealing things like tax breaks and economic incentives, but Channel 2's Richard Elliot learned that communities around metro Atlanta offered up 70 potential locations for HQ 2 both in the city of Atlanta, in the suburbs within 285 and the suburbs outside of 285.
House speaker David Ralston told Elliot he thinks Georgia’s bid is a real winner, especially with the state’s fifth year as number one.
“Well, we’re the only one, so if Amazon’s looking for a winner, they don’t have to look any further,” Ralston said.
The Director of Economic Development, Pat Wilson, says his office is dedicated to bringing Amazon to Georgia, but he says they’re also busy trying to lure other businesses to Georgia, too.
"And so we are focused on bringing Amazon to Georgia. That being said, we have a ton of other projects going on right now as well," Wilson said.
The office of economic development expects Amazon officials to visit the metro Atlanta area before the end of the year to tour the potential sites, but he doesn’t expect them to make a decision on HQ 2 for nine months to a year from now.