Amazon HQ2: Danbury Makes Video Pitch For New Headquarters

DANBURY, CT -- As cities nationwide make their case to Amazon in pursuit of its HQ2 facility, Danbury has decided to make a video in order to stand out from the pack. The city announce Thursday it has made a pitch to the e-commerce behemoth in attempt to attract Amazon's second corporate headquarters and the 50,000 high-paying jobs it would bring with it.

Mayor Mark Boughton and city officials decided to make a 90-second film, pitching Amazon on the Hat City.

“We felt that with such a high-tech and global company, the only way we could stand out of the fray was to do something truly unique and impactful,” said Boughton in a statement. “We are going to go straight to the top of Amazon with our message so that they know who Danbury is. We have a lot to offer and this video will certainly grab their attention.”

Boughton asked one of Amazon's most popular products, the Echo Dot, where the company should move its headquarters. The machine's automated personal assistant, Alexa, replies "Danbury, Connecticut."

Recently, the city used video as a medium to recruit police officers to work in Danbury. The video received over 100,000 views back in June and garnered positive feedback on Facebook.

Last week, the tech giant announced plans to open HQ2, which it says would bring 50,000 jobs paying over $100,000 annually. It says HQ2 will be a "full equal" to its current home in Seattle, and the company plans to invest over $5 billion in the construction and operation of the new headquarters. (For more neighborhood and city news, subscribe to Danbury Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Read more:

• Connecticut Is Trying To Win Amazon's New Headquarters
• Amazon To Hamden? Mayor Leng Makes The Pitch
• Amazon Seeks 'Business-Friendly' City For Its Second Headquarters

Amazon officials seek a new home with more than one million residents, a business-friendly environment, urban and suburban locations, a close proximity to an international airport, have direct access to mass transit, and be able to expand the headquarters to as much as 8-million square feet in the next decade.

While the city may have recently been named the best small city to do business in Connecticut by Wallethub, Danbury falls short on some items on the Danbury list. Namely, the population, where Amazon seeks a city of over one million residents and one within 45 minutes of an international airport.

However, CBS News reports just 26 U.S. cities fully fit Amazon's criteria, but hundreds are expected to pitch for the company's second global headquarters.

The addition of Amazon's HQ2 in the Hat City would be a welcomed addition for a state in fiscal crisis and one that has lost two of its largest private sector employers in as many years. General Electric elected to jump ship to Boston, leaving its Fairfield home of 42 years.

Additionally, insurance giant Aetna announced plans to move to New York City from Hartford, while still maintaining some operations in the state's capitol. Aetna had been in Hartford since 1853.

Shortly after Amazon began accepting proposals from city officials nationwide, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Gov. Dannel Malloy discussed plans to pitch the state and Hartford as a possible landing spot for the mammoth facility.

Additionally, the greater New Haven area was discussed as a possible landing spot. Joe McGee, a vice president for public policy and programs at the Business Council of Fairfield County told the Hartford Courant that Fairfield and New Haven could also make a strong case, touting its connections to New York City and other shoreline towns.

Hamden has also thrown its name into the ring. Mayor Curt Leng said the corporate giant should consider bringing its headquarters to Hamden, and said the town is already exploring a "couple of potential parcels."

Image via screeenshot from the City of Danbury Facebook Page